Reason Jhon Duran was despatched off after ‘dreadful’ purple card in opposition to Newcastle
Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran was shown a red card for violent conduct following a VAR check in the first half of the Premier League clash against Newcastle
The Premier League has dropped a bombshell statement after Jhon Duran’s contentious red card in the clash with Newcastle United.
Aston Villa’s striker got himself into hot water for stepping on Toon defender Fabian Schar, copping a violent conduct charge. Anthony Taylor didn’t hesitate to flash the red, backed up by VAR without a second thought.
Duran was gobsmacked by the send-off, dragging his heels off the pitch and giving a water bottle the boot in a fit of rage at St James’ Park, while Villa boss Unai Emery kept his cool on the sidelines.
Some angles suggest Duran went full panto villain on Schar post-tackle, while others reckon he was just losing his footing. The Premier League Match Centre cut through the noise with a no-nonsense breakdown of Taylor’s call.
Their verdict was clear-cut: “The referee issued a red card to Durán for violent conduct. The VAR checked and confirmed the referee’s call.”
BBC 5 Live pundit Pat Nevin was left scratching his head over the decision, confessing that pinning down Duran’s intent was tricky, though the footage didn’t do him any favours, reports the Mirror.
“How you can know there’s intent? I don’t really know,” he said. There seems to be a second move from Jhon Duran who almost hits Fabian Schar with his boot. On slow motion it looks dreadful. Duran is furious.”
The red card made Aston Villa’s task even more difficult against Newcastle. The Magpies opened the scoring on Boxing Day through Anthony Gordon in just the second minute.
Duran was playing in his fourth successive start having scored in his previous three matches again Southampton, Nottingham Forest and Mancheser City. The Colombian will remember his trip to the North East less fondly.
The drama did not end there however as Newcastle assistant coach Jason Tindall and a Villa analyst were also given their marching orders during the break after an interaction in the tunnel. Neither returned to the dugouts following half-time.
