The incident occurred when Bees ace Bryan Mbeumo accidentally caught Digne with a high boot, leaving the Villa player bleeding on the ground. However, referee Michael Salisbury did not blow for a foul.
The decision infuriated the Villa fans, who began chanting “You’re not fit to referee” following the incident. Fans took to social media to express their displeasure with one stating “He’s *LITERALLY* bleeding from his eye from a stud to the face!?” It was clear that many of the fans believed that the referee should have blown for a foul, given the severity of the injury.
Lucas Digne himself shared a picture of his painful-looking cut on Instagram after the game. He sarcastically captioned the picture with a laughing emoji and the hashtag “#nofreekick.” Digne was patched up by the club doctors and was able to continue playing after being substituted on for Alex Moreno in the 66th minute.
Despite the controversy, Villa managed to salvage a point in the match when Douglas Luiz equalised in the 87th minute. This leaves them sixth in the Premier League table and unbeaten in nine outings. Brentford, on the other hand, is currently tenth and has failed to win any of their last six games.
