An Arsenal fan was seen charging onto the field and appeared to collide with Chris Smalling, before running away from the defender. The day had already been marred by fan trouble, when a Birmingham fan ran onto the pitch and punched Aston Villa star Jack Grealish during the second city derby. The fan was quickly apprehended by players before stewards removed him from the field of play. The incident shocked both sets of fans in the fiercely contested derby, as Grealish decided to continue playing after the incident. And following the incident at the Emirates, Souness fumed that fans need to be banned for life when these situations occur. “It’s just another village missing an idiot,” he said. “Immediately ban them for life, name them, shame then and ban them for life. “With no chance of every coming back into the stadium. “And the clubs have to say ‘anybody else wants to encroach on a football pitch, this is what will happen’. “If you’re a supporter wanting 30 seconds of fame like that fool, then you’ll never come back again. “Look at the mad things that are happening in society, with young people. “He’s just a village idiot who wanted his 30 seconds. “Ban them forever. We don’t need those people. Ban them.” Jamie Carragher, however, had an opposing view, although he did lament the Arsenal fan’s actions. “I don’t think it’s enough just banning an individual, a club can’t stop a fan, stewards can’t stop them,” he said. “You’ll probably need 500 stewards, if a fan wants to get on that pitch, you won’t be able to stop them unfortunately. “But there has to be some sanctions to the club which will make the supporter feel ‘I’m hurting my club’.” Souness then interrupted, noting that fans aren’t thinking about the club when they decide to carry out pitch invasions. “[The fan’s] not interested in the club and the club’s welfare, it’s all about him in that moment. ‘My mates will think I’m a big guy’,” he added. “Taking points off them - I’m not sure that stops this, we just need to get rid of these people.”
