Edson Alvarez 'very lucky' for West Ham v Aston Villa after new footage

Edson Alvarez was "very, very lucky" not to be sent off as West Ham United drew 1-1 against Aston Villa on Sunday, Shay Given has said.

Speaking on Match of the Day 2 after watching footage (26 January), Given argued that before Alvarez set up Emerson's headed equaliser at Villa Park, the Mexican should have been sent off.

Alvarez was spotted kicking the ball away after conceding a free-kick and took Boubacar Kamara out late on in the match, either side of being shown a yellow card for handball early in the second half.

Given said: "I think Alvarez is very lucky to be still on the pitch if I'm being honest.

"There was a challenge in the first half; he actually gets the ball, but watch his reaction – he kicks the ball away.

"It's a straight yellow card, no question. His yellow card in the second half, that should be his second. And again, this is late on in the game – that's definitely another yellow card.

"He's very, very lucky to be on the pitch. He's had nine red cards already in his career, today it could have been double figures had the ref maybe seen that first ball he kicked away."

West Ham United and Edson Alvarez get lucky v Aston Villa

While the Hammers were well worthy of their shared point coming away from Villa Park, Graham Potter will know full well that they were fortunate to see the game out with 11 men given Alvarez's actions.

Although his booting away of the ball in the first half largely went unnoticed, even Potter recognised that the tightrope was about to snap for Alvarez, hooking him for Andy Irving late on.

That came almost immediately after he'd clattered Kamara off the ball to cut out a late Villans counter-attack, and it was no surprise to hear the jeers ringing around Villa Park when he received no card.

Alvarez's tally of nine career red cards has already been contributed to this season, with two dismissals so far against Liverpool in the EFL Cup and Nottingham Forest in the league – both from two bookings.

He may have avoided a similar fate at Villa Park thanks to several strokes of good fortune, but both Alvarez and Potter will know that he can't keep gambling on leaving the Irons in the lurch.

In other West Ham news, the Irons may have to move on from one of their top targets after his club greenlit another transfer.

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