Goalkeeper Marco Bizot was sent off in bizarre fashion during Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie between Aston Villa and Newcastle United. It sparked chaos on the Villa Park pitch just before the half-time whistle, following a first half that had been marred by refereeing drama. 

Villa were caught out by a Newcastle counter attack, with Bizot finding himself way outside of the penalty area as the Magpies players began flooding forward. Not knowing whether to come or go, the shot-stopper opted to challenge Jacob Murphy for the ball, but ended up slicing him in half around the halfway line instead.

Chris Kavanagh wasted no time in pulling out the red card, with Bizot standing in disbelief after his moment of madness. It was later confirmed that the sending off had been for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

Speaking as part of the BBC‘s coverage, Wayne Rooney said: “He’s caught in such a bad situation, Villa have left him exposed and [Jacob] Murphy has a good touch. He’s in no man’s land, it’s violent conduct. Clear red.”

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer added: “He was caught in no man’s land, it could’ve been a denial of a goalscoring opportunity, it could’ve been violent conduct. It’s just a crazy tackle.”

But it wasn’t the only moment of contention throughout a wild opening 45 minutes at Villa Park, as the Newcastle players, coaching staff, and fans all felt as if Lucas Digne ought to have seen red earlier in the half. The left-back launched himself into a challenge on Murphy, with replays suggesting he made contact with his opponent’s ankle.

On the earlier incident involving Digne, Shearer remarked: “I think it’s a red card. He’s endangering his opponent. He’s high, he’s late. Very lucky to get away with it. He’s about four yards from the assistant referee, the referee deems it to be a yellow. I think he’s lucky, catches him high, it’s dangerous.”

Meanwhile, the move that had led to the opening Villa goal looked to have involved an offside in the build-up. A nicely-worked set-piece routine saw Tammy Abraham slip in behind, with the striker netting his first goal since returning to the West Midlands outfit.

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