The fiery aftermath of Aston Villa’s disappointing loss to Newcastle United has seen Manchester United legend Paul Scholes pull no punches, specifically calling out the performance of goalkeeper Marco Bizot. In a scathing post-match assessment that has since gone viral, Scholes dismantled the veteran shot-stopper’s display, suggesting he was “torn apart” by the pressure of the occasion and a lack of fundamental discipline. The turning point of the match centered on a moment of pure chaos when Bizot was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge outside his area, a move Scholes labeled as “amateurish” and “unforgivable” for a player of his experience.
Scholes noted that Bizot’s dismissal fundamentally broke Villa’s defensive structure, leaving the rest of the team exposed to a rampant Newcastle attack. “He’s been torn apart tonight, not just by the opposition, but by his own poor decision-making,” Scholes remarked live on air. The pundit emphasized that at this level of the game, a goalkeeper cannot afford such a high-stakes lapse in judgment, especially in a match where Villa had previously looked competitive. The criticism didn’t stop at the red card; Scholes also pointed to Bizot’s positioning and lack of communication with his back four prior to the incident as signs of a player struggling with the pace of English football.
The fallout from Scholes’ comments has sparked intense debate among the Villa faithful, with many agreeing that the “moment of madness” cost the team three vital points. While some have attempted to defend the goalkeeper by pointing to the difficult conditions, the prevailing sentiment echoed by Scholes is that the performance was simply not up to the standard required for a club with Champions League aspirations. As Newcastle exploited the numerical advantage to secure the win, the spotlight remained firmly on Bizot, whose reputation has taken a significant hit following this high-profile “tearing apart” in the media. With the pressure mounting on Unai Emery to address the team’s defensive frailties, Scholes’ blunt analysis serves as a stark reminder of the thin line between hero and villain in the Premier League.