Pundit can’t believe Douglas Luiz decision as controversial new Aston Villa footage analysed
Noel Whelan has suggested Douglas Luiz let “emotions” and fan “pressure” get the better of him after he was sent off during Fulham’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Thursday (20 October).
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, admitted there “wasn’t too much in” the incident between the 24-year-old and Aleksandar Mitrovic.
As seen in footage from Amazon Prime Video Sport (20 October), Luiz saw red after VAR review for an off-the-ball headbutt on Mitrovic with Aston Villa trailing 1-0 at Craven Cottage.
The Midlands giants went on to lose 3-0 and manager Steven Gerrard was dismissed minutes after the final whistle had blown.
Luiz, who was linked with Arsenal during the summer window, signed a fresh Aston Villa contract last week (14 October) which will reportedly run until June 2026.
He has featured in 10 of a possible 11 Premier League games this season, but will now be banned for three top-flight games.
Whelan insisted the Brazil international’s sending off was “the last thing” an under-pressure Gerrard needed.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “This is someone who has just been given a new contract and a lot of faith by the club.
“Sometimes these emotions can creep in when you’re losing a football match and you know the pressure is on.
“The fans aren’t happy, and you can hear them – sometimes you can lose composure, and that’s what happened.
“There wasn’t too much in it. Mitrovic has played for it, but when you make that forward movement – there’s only one outcome.
“The last thing Steven Gerrard needed was for an experienced player to get sent off in a game they were already losing.”
In other news, Football Insider updates as Aston Villa set to hold Unai Emery talks.