Smith takes issue with double decision before sharing Aston Villa belief
Dean Smith was left questioning two key decisions that disrupted Aston Villa, but insisted he retains faith in his out-of-form players.
Villa suffered a fourth consecutive defeat after falling at the hands of West Ham. The Hammers led from the seventh minute before Ollie Watkins got Villa back in the game. It didn’t last long; Declan Rice restored the visitors’ lead before half-time.
Villa went a man down early after the break when Ezri Konsa was shown a red card after a VAR check in a decision that seemed a touch harsh.
Despite their attempts at battling back, it was uphill from there for Villa. West Ham made them pay later on with a further couple of goals.
The pressure may be starting to grow on Smith despite everything he has done for the club.
But he was somewhat defiant in his post-match interviews, taking issue with the red card decision and why Marvelous Nakamba had to go off the pitch before West Ham’s third goal.
He told BBC Sport: “It wasn’t a red card. The referee saw a still and in full time and thought the ball was going towards the goal.
“It amazes me, it wasn’t going towards the goal. And Ashley Young was covering.
“That staggers me. It’s not a red card. I thought we were all right with 10 men. We gave as good as we got.”
On the incident with Nakamba, he added: “I don’t understand the rule – the player gets booked [for fouling him] and he has to go off the pitch. We had eight outfield players on the pitch when they scored.”
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Despite his discontent at those aspects of the officiating, Smith had to accept there were some negatives to address from his own players.
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He explained: “It was a poor start. He’s cut inside for the opening goal. Leon [Bailey] jumps over it and it unsights our keeper. We didn’t start well but we grew into the game.
“We scored a good goal and created chances. It was a poor second goal, he went though bodies and has knobbled it far corner. Poor goal to concede.
“There were two big talking points. We have got eight outfield players on the pitch for the third goal. The rules of the game say if he has been fouled and the other player was cautioned, he can stay on the pitch. He was told to come off.
“We’ve got two or three players who have soft tissue injuries and some Covid related illnesses.
“Perceptions change all the time. We can’t control that. I believe in this squad.
“We didn’t deserve a 4-1 defeat. The squad is good enough to turn this round. We need to, we don’t want it to fester.”
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