Aston Villa striker Jordan Ayew received a straight red card after just 17 minutes of his side’s clash with West Ham United at Upton Park on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old had made a lively start along with his teammates as they surprisingly dominated possession early on. However, this act of madness left the visitors with it all to do as they now have to put up a battling performance for the remaining 70 minutes.
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Villa went into the game bottom of the Premier League table and 10 points adrift of safety as the clock continues to tick down on their stay in the English top flight.
With Remi Garde unable to bring in any new signings in the January transfer window, the French tactician will be forced to work with what he already has, with his current group winning just two games all season.
While that won’t be enough for the Villa squad to give up on their season, their cause won’t be helped by Ayew’s actions as the Ghanaian international will now face a lengthy suspension after his loss of composure which led to him hitting out at Aaron Cresswell.
Garde unsurprisingly looked incensed on the sidelines as replays showed him shaking his head after the sending off, and it remains to be seen what his men can now salvage from their trip to east London.