Jhon Duran threw a tantrum after being substituted by Unai Emery in Aston Villa’s 2-0 win over Bologna in the Champions League at Villa Park.
The Villans made it three wins from three games on their return to Europe’s premier competition, with their victory over the Italian team taking them top of the 36-club table.
Duran scored the all-important second goal for the hosts at the Holte End after captain John McGinn had opened the scoring ten minutes into the second half.
As his celebrations came to an end, the Colombian forward looked to the bench and saw Ollie Watkins waiting on the sideline and his number on the fourth official’s board.
The Colombian forward then visibly lost his cool as he sat back on the bench and kicked and punched his chair in frustration.
Jhon Duran vented his frustration on the bench after being substituted for Ollie Watkins
Duran scored Aston Villa’s second of the match, killing the match in the 64th minute, just before he was hooked
Duran was handed his first ever Champions League start by Emery following his heroics in the historic win against Bayern Munich earlier this month.
The 20-year-old, who has been hailed as a ‘super sub’ this season, made his mark in the 64th minute when he drifted into the penalty area and hooked Morgan Rogers’ cross into the far corner.
It would prove to be his last touch as he was replaced by Ollie Watkins, who didn’t look very happy as he saw his teammate find the back of the net.
Duran then had to be calmed down by a member of Emery’s staff as he delivered a big punch to the bench, before walking into the tunnel moments later.
Despite only signing a new six-year contract two weeks ago, the striker has been linked with a move to Arsenal in the past 24 hours.
Colombian outlet IF have reported that the Gunners are eyeing a move for Duran, who has scored seven goals in just 404 minutes of football this season, as they look to secure the services of a real striker.
The striker’s tantrum on the bench will do nothing to allay the fears of Villa fans as they look to keep him happy as understudy to star man Ollie Watkins.
However, after the match, Emery was quick to defend Duran as he tried to allay concerns about the incident.
Duran got on the end of Morgan Rogers’ cross to mark his first Champions League start with his seventh goal of the season
Within a minute he was substituted for Ollie Watkins, who also looked less than happy
Duran’s performance earned him UEFA’s Man of the Match award and he was all smiles at the time
‘He [Duran] scored the goal and it was fantastic and he wanted more because he thought he could score more goals,” the Villa boss said. “He’s done a really good job and the last few minutes belong to (Ollie) Watkins and we’ll keep going.
‘No (problem with response). I manage everything, but all we convey in the locker room is that we have to respect our values and try to be mature and responsible. Sometimes players react a little, but I have that under control.’
Duran’s teammate Youri Tielemans echoed his manager’s thoughts and even saw the funny side of the situation.
“He (Duran) is really funny. The manager doesn’t care. He knows everyone wants to play. It’s part of the game,” said Tielemans.
‘Duran has everything: he has technique, he can hold the ball and he can persevere. He is an all-round striker.’
Meanwhile, Emery refused to get carried away even though his side have all but secured a place in the next round of the Champions League, with two more wins potentially enough to take them into the last 16.
Unai Emery defended the Colombian striker and stated that he simply wanted ‘more’ goals in the match
“We can change the target and get into the top eight, but I want to feel what we are doing in a natural way, but not a surprise,” Emery added. ‘Of course there are other teams that are contenders and favorites for the top eight.
‘We play seriously. We play focused and responsible and the team is making progress and is mature in everything.
‘It’s always difficult at home in Europe. We had to try to be consistent in our game plan for 90 minutes and I think we did that. We played really brilliantly.’