Jack Grealish overcame a punch to the head by a fan and scored the winning goal in style in one of English soccer's most bitter rivalries. A spectator invaded the pitch, hit the Aston Villa midfielder in the back of the head, then blew kisses at the crowd while he was escorted away by security during Sunday's match at Birmingham City. The spectator was arrested, charged with encroachment on to the pitch and assault, and will appear in court on Monday. Aston Villa called the incident "disgraceful" and "cowardly" in an official statement, while Birmingham City apologized to Villa and to Grealish. You can watch the incident, and Grealish's winning goal, below. Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the European Soccer season right here. Jack Grealish got punched in the head by a fan, scored the winning goal in one of England's most bitter rivalries, then took to Twitter to say "the cream always rises" hours later. Grealish's goal was the only one scored in Sunday's Championship match, the fiery "Second City" derby between the two biggest soccer clubs in Birmingham — Aston Villa and Birmingham City. Before kick-off, both teams had a small chance of finishing within one of the Championship's coveted playoff places, which could win them promotion into England's top division, the cash-rich and world-renowned Premier League. The stakes were high in a match traditionally not shy of tension, when just eight minutes into the game a fan invaded the pitch, swung his arm at Villa's 23-year-old midfielder Grealish and punched him to the floor. As the fan was ushered away by matchday security, he turned to the crowd and blew kisses at them, according to the BBC. Watch the incident right here: Grealish, seemingly unfazed, went on to score the game's only goal — a crucial winner — and finished the match as the best player according to Whoscored.com data. Grealish scored his goal in the 67th minute. He received the ball on the edge of the box, dribbled into the penalty area and successfully found space to tease a shot toward goal, firing the ball low into the bottom right-hand corner. 1-0. Watch it here: With two tackles, three chances provided, and two shots that yielded one goal, Grealish was worth of his 8/10 ranking. He reacted to the win on Twitter, saying: "The cream always rises." Regardless, the fan incident marred the game, somewhat overshadowing Grealish's outstanding performance. A 27-year-old man was arrested and charged with encroachment on to the pitch and assault, West Midlands police said, according to the BBC. He will appear in court on Monday. Villa called the incident "disgraceful" and "cowardly" in a statement published on the club's official website. "We trust the perpetrator will feel the full force of the law and the authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding today’s deplorable incident." Villa added that "local rivalries are part of the fabric" of English soccer, but said a "player’s personal safety placed under such jeopardy is a serious cause for concern for the entire football community." Birmingham City apologized to Grealish and to Birmingham in its own statement. It said the club "deplores" the behavior and the individual will be banned from the club "for life," adding: "There are no excuses." Prominent soccer pundits and former players like Alan Shearer and Gary Neville have called for Birmingham to get slapped with a points ban, which would push them lower down the Championship league table. Shearer told the BBC the club "should have the strongest possible punishment." He elaborated: "[This] means points deduction, and playing behind closed doors, because if they don't stamp this out now, someone's going to get hurt." Neville tweeted: "The club are going have to take a huge punishment for this to act as a deterrent in the future. A points deduction or empty stadium for 10 games." The English Football Association (FA), the governing body for soccer in England, will reportedly begin its own investigation when it receives a referee's report from the match official Tim Robinson, according to The Times. It will then decide on an appropriate response and/or punishment.<doc-sep>Nate Scott For the Win What started out as a sickening incident turned into a beautiful one, after Jack Grealish was first attacked by a fan during a game, then responded by scoring a beautiful game-winning goal. In the first half of a rivalry game between Aston Villa and Birmingham in the English Championship (the level just below the Premier League), Villa’s Grealish was sucker punched by a Birmingham fan who ran onto the field and snuck up behind him. Grealish’s teammates, Birmingham City players and security quickly surrounded the fan, who was escorted off the field and arrested. Grealish admirably kept calm after the incident, and received love from members of both teams for having to endure what he did. Here was the attack: Grealish then got his revenge in the second half, when he scored a left-footed goal to give Villa a 1-0 lead away from home. Villa would hold on to the lead and win the game, 1-0. SPORTS, DELIVERED: Getlatest news right in your inbox! After the game, Birmingham City issued a statement:<doc-sep>
BIRMINGHAM, England — A Birmingham City soccer team supporter was sentenced to 14 weeks in jail after pleading guilty Monday to assaulting Jack Grealish, the captain of the opposing team, Aston Villa, during a match. In a League Championship game on Sunday between the city rivals, Paul Mitchell, 27, ran onto the field and landed a punch on the player's face. Your browser does not support iframes. Mitchell pleaded guilty to assault in Birmingham Magistrates' Court. "Mr. Grealish felt a punch to the right side of his lower jaw and he realized he has been assaulted by a Blues supporter," prosecutor Jonathan Purser said. "Footage showed him taking a running swing and jumping on the back of Mr. Grealish and throwing that punch. It appears to have caused no physical injuries, fortunately." Birmingham has already announced that Mitchell has been banned for life from its stadium. Mitchell's lawyer, Vaughn Whistance, told the hearing that his client's family had to leave their home "through fear that they would suffer serious harm or even death" following online comments about the incident. "My client doesn't seek to justify his behavior at all," Whistance said. "He has brought shame upon himself and his family ... and the football club he has supported since he was a child. Later in the match, Grealish scored to give Villa a 1-0 victory over Birmingham. The captain scored in front of his team's traveling supporters, touching off a wild celebration. "He apologizes to Aston Villa and in particular Jack Grealish for his terrible behavior," Whistance said of Mitchell. "He cannot explain what came over him. He is certainly remorseful today." Grealish issued a statement through the prosecutor, saying he felt fortunate the fan only used his fist — and not a weapon, according to Sky News. "I cannot help but feel how lucky I was in this incident," according to Grealish. "It could have been so much worse had the supporter had some sort of weapon." Later on Sunday in a separate incident in London, a man was charged for going on the Emirates Stadium field and pushing Manchester United defender Chris Smalling. Gary Cooper appeared to be trying to join Arsenal players in celebrating a goal in the Premier League match. Cooper was charged with "common assault and going on to the playing area" and will appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on March 26, police said.