Man City apologise after Villa goalkeeper Olsen assaulted during pitch invasion

Manchester City have apologised after Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen was attacked during a pitch invasion at the Etihad following their dramatic title win.

Olsen was struck on the back of the head as he attempted to leave the pitch at the final whistle. Thousands of home fans charged onto the pitch as City came from behind to beat Villa 3-2 and pip Liverpool to the title.

Villa insisted it was unclear if the attack had been deliberate or not. Villa boss Steven Gerrard said: "Our goalkeeper was attacked. We're going to see how he is now, but I think you should ask Pep (Guardiola) and Manchester City those questions.

"I think we done everything ever so well up until the 70th minute. The game plan was working for three quarters of the game and I'm slightly disappointed we didn't play a little bit more football at 2-0 to rest and stay with the ball. We wanted a big result here. We wanted to make it difficult for City and we did that for large parts but, against the good teams, you've got to do that for 90 minutes."

Manchester City have released a statement apologising to Olsen for the attack that marred their title celebrations. And the newly crowned champions have launched an immediate investigation into what happened.

"Manchester City would like to sincerely apologise to Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who was assaulted after the final whistle at today’s match when fans entered the pitch. The Club has launched an immediate investigation and once identified, the individual responsible will be issued with an indefinite stadium ban," the statement read.

The alleged attack is the latest incident to blight the game following a spate of pitch invasions in recent weeks. A Nottingham Forest fan was jailed for six months last week for attacking Sheffield United's Billy Sharp at the City Ground.

While a pitch invasion at Goodison Park on Thursday resulted in Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira kicking out at an Everton fan who had taunted him. There are growing fears for the safety of players, managers and officials and this latest incident will pile the pressure on football's authorities to stamp out pitch invasions following games.

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