Aston Villa fans feel ‘betrayed’ as Jack Grealish ‘dives’ for penalty versus boyhood club

On Feb 12, 2023

Aston Villa supporters couldn’t hide their pain after their former skipper Jack Grealish dived to win a penalty for Manchester City against them on Sunday.

Grealish, 27, joined Villa at the age of six and went on to make 213 first-team appearances before a £100million move to City where he picked up a Premier League winners’ medal last season.

Those same fans that used to cheer his name have now been left with a sense of betrayal and he awaited contact from Jacob Ramsey before going over in the penalty area with Riyad Mahrez then finding the net to make in 3-0.

One Villa fan wrote: “I have backed Grealish since his move but today he has infuriated me. How you running round celebrating and then dive to win a penalty against your so called boyhood team.”

A second said: “What a dive against his ‘boyhood’ club.”

A third agreed: “To see Grealish dive and celebrate the penalty makes me realise that loyalty is totally dead in football.”

Penalty or no penalty? Give us your verdict in the comments section below.

Jack Grealish was once the favourite of Aston Villa supporters
(Image: Getty Images)

A fourth posted: “I knew we were going to lose today but that Grealish dive has actually made me so angry.”

One man who didn’t think it was a dive was Roy Keane, saying on Sky Sports: “You have to give it to Jack to being very very smart, very naive defending from Ramsey.

“He does kind of catch him, Jack kind of kicks him. Jack is more like Tom Daley but I think it is a penalty and it’s clever from Jack.

Jack Grealish went down in the box to hand Man City a 3-0 lead
(Image: Getty Images)

“He knows exactly what he is doing and gives the referee no option but to give the penalty.”

Grealish has shown an improvement in form at City so far this season and been handed a regular starting berth despite Pep Guardiola’s love of change.

Mahrez converted from the spot after Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri had found the back of the net in a rampant first 45 minutes, with Ollie Watkins making it 3-1 in the second-half.