Jack Grealish: Second City derby win the 'best day of my life'

The 23-year-old, captaining his boyhood club at St Andrew’s, was knocked to the ground after being struck by a man who emerged from the Tilton End in the ninth minute.

But he regained his feet to then bag the only goal of the game midway through the second half.

Victory saw Villa climb to ninth in the Championship as they extended their unbeaten league run against Blues to 14 matches.

Grealish said: “It's the best day of my life. To come here for the first time to captain Aston Villa, it's what dreams are made of especially as an Aston Villa fan.”

He continued: “I was just unaware of it (the incident) at the time, I think we had a throw-in in the corner. I was walking into position and I felt a whack around the side of the face.

“Obviously there's rivalry and stuff in football but I don't think there's any place for that really. “But I just tried to get on with my job in the end and I think I did, scored the winner and we've come away with three points.

“It was unbelievable (to score the winning goal) in front of our fans. After what happened in the first half I think it was set up for it! Like I said, captaining the club was something I've dreamed of since a little kid.”

Grealish also appeared to be handled aggressively by a steward during the celebrations after his goal.

Both clubs released statement condemning the earlier attack, with Blues now facing an investigation from both the FA and police.