Aston Villa send message of thanks to Chelsea as Blues confirm investigation into John McGinn abuse
Premier League giants Chelsea have this evening confirmed that investigatory proceedings have been launched, after John McGinn was the target of sectarian abuse during the club’s meeting with Aston Villa this weekend.
Lukaku bags brace
Tuchel’s men were of course back in Premier League action a little over 48 hours ago.
In their first outing on the back of the international break, the Blues welcomed Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge, aiming to bounce back from a stalemate with Liverpool last time out.
And, when all was said and done in West London, return to winning ways is precisely what Chelsea managed.
Despite Villa having held their own throughout much of the clash, the European champions ultimately proved too strong, en route to an eventual 3-0 final scoreline.
Summer arrival Romelu Lukaku proved the star of the show, netting a brace either side of Mateo Kovacic’s fine finish, to guide Chelsea to a joint-spot atop the English top-flight table:
Romelu Lukaku kisses the Chelsea badge after scoring his first-ever goal for the club at Stamford Bridge 💙
(via @NBCSportsSoccer)pic.twitter.com/KUNUpNbQjC
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 11, 2021
Blues take action
As outlined above, however, an otherwise fine evening’s work for Tuchel and co. on Saturday was marred by an instance of altogether shameful behaviour in the stands at Stamford Bridge.
This came when Villa midfielder John McGinn was targeted with a stream of sectarian-themed abuse by a member of the home crowd.
The individual in question is understood to have been heard clearly in a clip which has since done the rounds on social media over the days following the clash.
And, Chelsea, in turn, have this evening sprung into action.
As confirmed in a post across the club’s social media platforms, the Pensioners have opened an investigation into the incident, with the intention of taking the ‘strongest possible action’ against the ‘fan’ involved:
Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour totally unacceptable and we condemn the language used.
The Club is working to identify the person involved and will take the strongest possible action against them. Any supporter who was present in that area of the ground and has information that can assist the Club’s investigation should contact the Club via our discrimination reporting line 0207 3863355.
Club statement.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 13, 2021
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have since sent a message of thanks to their counterparts at Stamford Bridge, for their ‘swift and decisive’ efforts:
Aston Villa are grateful to our friends at Chelsea FC for their swift and decisive action in both condemning the bigotry aimed at John McGinn at Stamford Bridge and in launching an investigation to identify the culprit. https://t.co/LElpCeQHRe
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 13, 2021
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester United | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| 2 | Chelsea FC | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| 3 | Liverpool FC | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 4 | 10 | 9 |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 4 | -2 | 6 |
| 10 | Brentford FC | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 4 | -2 | 4 |
| 13 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| 15 | Watford FC | 4 | -4 | 3 |
| 16 | Arsenal FC | 4 | -8 | 3 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 4 | -7 | 2 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 3 | -3 | 1 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 4 | -7 | 1 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 4 | -10 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 2 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 2 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 2 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 2 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Edouard, Odsonne | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Duffy, Shane | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 2 |
| Rodri | Manchester City | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Struijk, Pascal | Leeds United | 1 | 1 |
| Tanganga, Japhet | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 |
| Schar, Fabian | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Stephens, Jack | Southampton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Marcal, Fernando | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 2 |
| Moura, Lucas | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 1 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 1 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 1 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 1 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 1 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 1 |
| Grealish, Jack | Manchester City | 1 |
