Villa went down to ten men but still ran out 2-1 winners in Wednesday’s Championship game at the New York Stadium.
Dean Smith has expressed his delight at how Aston Villa were “all about spirit” in their seventh Championship win in a row, the 2-1 triumph away at Rotherham United, before commenting on Tyrone Mings’s red card.
The visitors endured a difficult first half at the New York Stadium on Wednesday night as the Bournemouth on-loan defender was sent off after two bookings.
On top of that, Tammy Abraham missed a penalty, while Will Vaulks made the most of a spot kick of his own as he successfully rifled the hosts ahead from 12 yards out.
However, Jonathan Kodjia’s introduction at the interval turned the game on its head as he fired in a penalty before captain Jack Grealish, so often the hero in the last few weeks, grabbed the winner.
After praising his team’s effort, Smith added that Mings’s second booking – an accidental handball in the penalty area – should not have been penalised in that manner, comparing it to when Clark Robertson brought down Grealish at the other end.
“It was never a yellow card,” he is quoted by the Birmingham Mail as saying. “I just don’t understand the inconsistency. Jack was fouled in the area for the first penalty but their man wasn’t booked.”
Up next for Villa, who are fifth in the table, is a Championship home game against Bristol City on Saturday afternoon.
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