Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was understandably frustrated at the prospect of losing John Doran to suspension after the striker was sent off at Newcastle on December 26.
Colombian international Duran scored a goal in his previous four matches to establish himself as a starter before suffering one of his worst moments this season.
Referee Anthony Taylor ordered Duran off following an incident involving defender Fabian Schar 32 minutes into the Premier League match, but Emery, Villa supporters and many other fans and pundits were baffled by the decision.
Here's what you need to know about Duran's suspension, including which games he will miss and why his ban will be confirmed.
BREAKING: Aston Villa has received a request to overturn John Doran's red card, which was rejected by the FA 🚨 pic.twitter.com/UaDWdE4hBQ
– Sky Sports News (SkySportsNews) December 27, 2024
Comment by John Doran
Villa will be without a rotation for three matches, starting with the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday (7.45pm GMT).
He will also miss their home match against Leicester City the following Saturday (3pm) and their FA Cup third round match against West Ham at Villa Park on January 10 (8pm).
Duran has featured in all 26 of Villa's matches in all competitions this season, initially proving to be a highly effective substitute by scoring goals in his first four of his five Premier League matches from the bench.
Most recently, Doran took his tally for the season to 12 players as a partner and substitute for Ollie Watkins, allowing the England international to rest.
Was John Doran unlucky? 🟥 #BBC Football #MOTD pic.twitter.com/gbfHqITTna
– BBC Sport (@BBC Sport) December 27, 2024
Duran's red card: Why did the English Premier League reject the appeal?
As Emery's comments strongly suggested, Villa have lodged an appeal against Duran's red card in the hope of overturning the decision.
“His reaction after that, with the player (Schar) on top of him, was 'sorry, sorry',” the Spaniard said. “He didn't kick him intentionally… it's a very big punishment for this act.
“I can accept the other team's request for a red card, okay. But VAR (should have intervened) and confirmed that (it was not intentional), because now the penalty is three matches.”
Unfortunately for Emery, the Premier League later found that Duran was guilty of violent behaviour, leading to the ban being implemented.
Aston Villa matches
Emery may take some solace from all of Villa's games in the absence of Doran at home and looks eminently capable of winning.
Brighton are winless in six games and surrendered 6-1 to Villa last season, while Leicester have won just once away from home in 2024/25 and West Ham lost their last visit to Villa Park 4-1.
