Jamie Carragher rips into Matty Cash after incident in Aston Villa vs Brentford: ‘The one thing I hate…’
Matty Cash was at the centre of attention on Sunday as Aston Villa were beaten 1-0 at home by Brentford.
Unai Emery’s side have been one of the stories of the season in the Premier League so far in 2025-26, but they have now fallen seven points behind leaders Arsenal as a result of their latest slip-up.
Aston Villa fans were hugely frustrated with their team’s display, as they failed to find the back of the net on home turf, despite firing 27 shots at Caoimhin Kelleher in the Brentford goal.
The Villans even faced 10 men for the entirety of the second half, as Kevin Schade was dismissed just three minutes before the half-time interval.
Jamie Carragher blasts Matty Cash for his role in red card incident
Brentford fans have torn into Schade for his sending off, as the German planted his foot into the midriff of Matty Cash while getting up from a challenge made by the Villa right-back.
The winger was shown a straight red card by referee Tim Robinson, and left his team to cope with a numerical disadvantage for the remainder of the game.
However, Jamie Carragher doesn’t think that Cash was free from blame for the role that he played in the incident.
The Aston Villa man writhed around in pain following the challenge, which Carragher feels brought added attention to the clash.
“He (Schade) can’t argue with the red card, but what’s frustrating me is the reaction from Cash,” the ex-Liverpool defender said during Sky Sports’ Extra Time show on Sunday.
“I’m not just talking about Cash, I’m seeing this a lot in the Premier League right now, and it’s really getting back into the game.
“Pretending you’re hurt when you’re not is one of my biggest gripes in football. The one thing I really hate is someone rolling around on the floor when there’s nothing wrong with them.
“I really think it’s starting to come back into the game in a big way, and it needs to stop. We need to start calling people out when it happens.”
How many games will Kevin Schade miss for Brentford?
Schade has been a key player for Brentford so far this season, but Keith Andrews and Co. will now have to live without him for the next few weeks after his sending off.
The official reason for the German’s dismissal was violent conduct, which carries a three-game suspension in accordance with the FA’s rules, unless Brentford are successful in any potential appeal.
With that in mind, the timing could not be worse for Andrews and his side in terms of their bid to potentially push for European qualification.
The Bees will be without their wideman for the upcoming games against Newcastle and Arsenal, while his suspension concludes with the awkward Monday night trip to face Macclesfield in the FA Cup on 16 February.
The National League North outfit have been the big story of this year’s competition after knocking out Crystal Palace in the third round, and they are sure to be licking their lips after seeing Schade’s red card.