It looks like the big Aston Villa centre-back has received a black eye.
Dean Smith has claimed that Aston Villa were denied a penalty during Saturday’s narrow defeat away to Bournemouth.
The Villans lost 2-1 away to Eddie Howe’s side yesterday afternoon, despite the hosts only having 10 men nearly half the game.
Mbwana Samatta halved the deficit for Aston Villa on 70 minutes for what was his first goal since joining from Genk last week, following first-half efforts from Cherries duo Philip Billing and Nathan Ake.
Bjorn Engels took a smack in the face from goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on 52 minutes as the big centre-back tried to win a header.
And Smith believes that it should’ve been a penalty for the visitors, though it was not reviewed by VAR.
He told Aston Villa’s official website: “I felt that we should have had a penalty. Bjorn Engels has got a black eye.
“He’s gone up above the goalkeeper and headed it and the goalkeeper’s punched him in the face. It wasn’t even reviewed, I don’t believe.”
Aston Villa have fallen foul to a number of dodgy VAR decisions this season and that’s possibly one of them, considering it wasn’t even reviewed.
It was a double blow for Smith’s side because Engels – a £9 million signing last summer [Sky Sports] – missed the target with his header, from only three yards out.
Fortunately, Aston Villa remain outside the relegation zone in spite of the result, though only one point separates the 17th-placed Villans and West Ham United in 18th.
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