English soccer fans are some of the most passionate spectators in the world. Although sometimes that passion can manifest itself in some pretty dangerous ways. On Sunday, Aston Villa took on Birmingham City in the Sky Bet Championship match. The game was held in Birmingham and it was fairly obvious that the fans had a distaste for their rivals, particularly midfielder Jack Grealish. In just the 10th minute of the game, a fan ran out onto the pitch and sucker punched Grealish who had his back turned to the fan. The spectator was immediately arrested and has pleaded guilty for the punch, according to the BBC.
Grealish and Aston Villa ended up having the last laugh though as he ended up scoring the game-winning goal in just the 67th minute. The final score was 1-0 with Aston Villa taking home the championship.
After the match, the EFL said:
"It's a situation no player should ever be faced with. Those playing in the game must be able to do so safe in the knowledge they will not be subjected to this type of behavior. While this incident falls within the remit of the Football Association, we will work with all the relevant parties to address the issue of player and match officials' safety on the pitch and ensure the appropriate action is taken."
You can check out what Grealish himself had to say about the attack in the video below.