William Saliba and John McGinn in heated brawl with referee forced to intervene in Aston Villa vs Arsenal clash
WILLIAM SALIBA and John McGinn were caught up in a heated brawl during Arsenal’s trip to Aston Villa.
The duo’s clash even forced the referee to intervene as tempers flared in the Midlands.
![a soccer player is kneeling on the field during a game .](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/vlcsnap-2024-08-24-18h09m57s051.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
![a group of soccer players are playing a game of soccer on a field .](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/vlcsnap-2024-08-24-18h09m58s489.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
![a soccer player with the number 2 on his back](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/vlcsnap-2024-08-24-18h09m59s829.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The incident occurred around 10 minutes before half-time with the score 0-0.
Saliba found himself floored after a collision with Ollie Watkins.
But he was left incensed when McGinn picked up the ball before kicking it straight at him.
The Frenchman jumped to his feet in rage before charging towards his opponent.
And Saliba sent the Scot flying to the ground with a powerful barge.
This saw players from both sides run to the scene.
Stars waved their arms as a crowd gathered and things threatened to spill over.
It forced referee Michael Oliver to intervene quickly.
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The official swooped in to calm things down and prevent an escalation on the field.
Despite Saliba and McGinn stil protesting, the clash simmered down within seconds.
![a group of soccer players are standing on a field .](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/vlcsnap-2024-08-24-18h09m23s010.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
![a group of soccer players on a field with a sky sports logo in the background](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/vlcsnap-2024-08-24-18h09m23s590.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
![a group of soccer players on a field with a sky sports logo in the background](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/vlcsnap-2024-08-24-18h09m24s631.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
![a group of soccer players on a field with one wearing the number 11](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/vlcsnap-2024-08-24-18h09m34s313.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
And the game was able to continue as the two sides made it to half-time without any further incidents.
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