Aston Villa players were celebrating Buendía’s opener
Lucas Digne was hit by a bottle thrown by an Everton supporter as Aston Villa celebrated Emi Buendía opening goal at Goodison Park.
After a cagey start to the match, the Argentine attacking midfielder opened the scoring from a corner in added-time of the first-half – smartly directing his header past Jordan Pickford.
However, as Villa’s players celebrated the goal in the corner of the pitch, Digne – who left the Toffees to sign for Steven Gerrard’s side on January 13 – was struck by an object.
The Frenchman dropped to the ground, with Matty Cash also appearing to be caught by the bottle as he also fell to the floor clutching his head.
Digne made 127 appearances for Everton during his time on Merseyside, registering six goals and 20 assists.
However, the left-back was ostracised by former Toffees manager Rafa Benitez – which led to him making the move to Aston Villa for a reported fee of £25 million.
He left having not played for the club since their 4-1 Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool on December 1st.
In a statement after the game, Everton confirmed an arrest had been made, saying: “Everton security staff and Merseyside Police identified the supporter using CCTV footage.
“Investigations in conjunction with the police are ongoing. The club will issue bans to any fans identified throwing objects.”
Everton caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson called the incident “disgraceful”.
Following the conclusion of the match, the Football Association added: “We will investigate the incident and will be liaising with the club and the police as a matter of urgency.”
Related links:
- Liverpool supporters respond to Lucas Digne’s claim that he rejected them twice
- Lucas Digne bids farewell to Everton with swipe at Rafa Benitez
- Duncan Ferguson buys drinks for Everton fans before Aston Villa clash
