Violence marred tonight's Europa League fixture at Villa Park as Aston Villa striker Donyell Malen sustained a head injury from a plastic cup hurled by Young Boys supporters following his 27th-minute goal.
The 26-year-old Dutch forward was celebrating when the projectile struck him, leaving a visible cut.
Fellow Villa player Morgan Rogers also fell victim to the barrage of missiles from the away section, lifting his shirt after apparently being struck.
The ugly scenes unfolded as multiple objects rained down on the Villa players during their goal celebration, casting a shadow over what should have been a moment of triumph for the home side.
Donyell Malen scored and celebrated near the away end at Villa Park, where he was struck by something from the crowd
|REUTERS
The goal that sparked the disorder came when Youri Tielemans delivered a cross that found Malen, whose header beat Young Boys goalkeeper Marvin Keller despite his attempt to keep the ball out.
The Dutchman had put Villa ahead after the home side had created numerous opportunities in the opening 27 minutes.
Malen's instinct was to race towards the corner flag in celebration, but his joy was cut short when missiles began flying from the visiting supporters' section.
The forward immediately clutched his head after being struck, turning to look back at the crowd from where the objects had been thrown.
The disturbances extended beyond the missile throwing, with television commentary reporting that supporters were hurling seats at police officers in the away section.
Travelling fans appeared to clash with police with reports that seats were being ripped out of the stadium
|REUTERS
The disorder appeared to be concentrated entirely within the Young Boys supporters' area of the ground.
Police continued to clash with fans throughout the match, who charged into the crowd to sort out the disorder.
After Malen scored a second goal, the Villa player appeared to defiantly make his way over the away fans to celebrate in front of them again.
That sparked further outrage as fans rushed to the front to appear to try get on the pitch, being held back by police and stewards.
Club captain Loris Benito even made his way over to the fans to try and calm them down to no avail.
It forced the match to be stopped for nearly four minutes to allow the authorities to take action.
Tonight's match at Villa Park also signals the first Europa League match to be hosted at the stadium since the controversial ban of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.
Police apprehended at least one supporter during the fracas, in which missiles were thrown at the authorities as well as the police
|REUTERS
Young Boys fans threw seats at the police in chaotic scenes at Villa Park
|REUTERS
West Midlands Police said that travelling fans from the Israeli club would be a 'high risk'.
The decision caused huge controversy with the government intervening and trying to find a way to reverse the decision to ban away fans.
However, in the end, Maccabi Tel Aviv prevented selling away tickets themselves and told their fans not to travel, for risk of their own safety.
Donyell Malen 🤝 Youri Tielemans
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 27, 2025
Aston Villa take the lead after a brilliant ball and finish...But some unsavoury behaviour from the away fans as Malen celebrates!
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/JB3JQhgYKc
Tonight's match held significant importance for Villa's European ambitions, with victory potentially placing them in a commanding position to secure automatic progression to the Europa League round of 16.
A win would strengthen their chances of finishing in the top eight, bypassing the need for a play-off round and advancing directly to the knockout stages of the competition.
Aston Villa are one of the favourites to win the competition while coach Unai Emery has won the Europa League four times.