BIRMINGHAM, March 8- Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph admitted he was scared after being bitten by fans during a chaotic end to his side’s 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
Delph put Tim Sherwood’s side on course for a Wembley semi-final appearance with Villa’s opening goal in the 51st minute and Scott Sinclair’s late strike finished off their local rivals at a boisterous Villa Park.
But both goals were greeted by small pitch invasions and, with just moments left in stoppage-time, over-excited Villa fans poured onto the pitch in a premature celebration that prompted the match to be briefly halted.
The final whistle brought an even larger pitch invasion as hundreds of jubilant supporters flooded the turf, prompting one of the linesmen to make a determined sprint all the way across the pitch to the safety of the tunnel.
Many of Villa’s players were mobbed by their frenzied fans, with Delph revealing he had lost a boot and even been bizarrely bitten in the wild scenes.
Asked how he felt as he tried to make it back to the dressing room in one piece, Delph said: “It was very, very scary. My armband got nicked, someone got my left boot, but I could appreciate the relief the fans are feeling after a result like that.
“It was dangerous. Someone tried to take my boot off. People tried to kiss me and were biting me. It was scary.”
