Jack Grealish punched: World of football reacts with shock and outrage to ugly scenes at St Andrew’s
Gary Lineker was among those who blasted the cowardly Birmingham fan for his shameful attack on the Aston Villa captain
Famous figures from the world of football reacted with disgust and delight in equal measure after Jack Grealish was assaulted before eventually netting the winner in an ugly Second City derby.
A mindless Birmingham fan invaded the pitch and punched the Aston Villa captain in the back of the head in the ninth minute of a barbaric Championship clash.
Grealish, who thankfully emerged unhurt, went on to dish out his own form of justice by winning the derby for his team with a left-footed strike from the edge of the box, sparking wild celebrations among the visiting fans.
Both clubs and the EFL have since denounced the 'disgraceful' incident.
Birmingham condemned the attack as 'deplorable and disgusting' and Blues have confirmed they will ban the man for life from St Andrew's.
The EFL condemned 'the mindless actions of the individual' involved and pledged to work with the Football Association to 'ensure the appropriate action is taken'.
And Villa said: "A red line has been crossed by this cowardly on-field assault on a player, which is unprecedented in English football."
Meanwhile, the likes of Gary Lineker blasted the moronic perpetrator on Twitter.
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The Match of the Day presenter tweeted: "Great riposte from @JackGrealish1 to the awful attack on him. Stay calm and then exact the perfect revenge by scoring what might be the only goal of the game."
And he was not the only one to praise Grealish for his response to the shocking incident.
Here is how social media reacted: