Ezri Konsa was sent off in the 66th minute for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity after bringing down Anthony Gordon, leaving Aston Villa with ten men. A VAR check upheld the straight red, which carries a one-match suspension that rules Konsa out for the trip to Brentford. Villa preserved a goalless clean sheet despite the dismissal. Unai Emery moved Boubacar Kamara from defensive midfield to centre-back to partner Tyrone Mings for the remainder of the match. Pau Torres remained on the bench. Emery can either keep Kamara at centre-back, start Torres alongside Mings, or consider dropping Mings.
Aston Villa had to see out the final quarter of their opening Premier League fixture against Newcastle with ten men after Ezri Konsa was dismissed in the 66th minute. Konsa brought down Anthony Gordon as he threatened to race in one-on-one with keeper Marco Bizot on the counter-attack, earning a straight red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Villa saw through a clean sheet regardless as the game finished goalless,
A VAR check confirmed the red card for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity, and Konsa will now be suspended against Brentford. Although it was a straight red card, denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity only comes with a one-match ban, so Konsa will be able to return to action next weekend against Crystal Palace. Ezri Konsa was dismissed for dragging Antony Gordon back as he threatened to get in on goal (Image credit: Getty Images)
Emery responded to the red card by moving Boubacar Kamara back from defensive midfield to partner Tyrone Mings for the rest of the game. The French international has played that role on a handful of occasions for Villa and did so more regularly for previous club Marseille. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Keeping Kamara there in Konsa's absence is an option this weekend, but he could equally turn to Pau Torres alongside Mings. The Spaniard was an unused substitute against Newcastle as Emery preferred to stick with what he already had on the pitch.
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