Aston Villa star suffers cut on his face after Young Boys thugs pelt him with missiles during goal celebration before ripping out seats in violent clashes with police

Aston Villa star Donyell Malen suffered a cut on his head as BSC Young Boys thugs launched projectiles and ripped out seats in their Europa League clash.

Scenes turned particularly ugly as yobs clashed with police, with some getting thrown out after fighting and launching damaged seats down to the front row. 

Goalscorer Malen was first struck on the head by a projectile as he celebrated in the corner after breaking the deadlock in the 27th minute. Cups and water bottles appeared to be the main weapon of choice. 

The 26-year-old curled over and held his head in a bid to protect himself but was able to play on and punished the travelling Swiss supporter later in the half. 

In the 42nd minute, Malen scored his second and went to celebrate in the same corner - only to be targeted by missiles again. This time, he kept more distance and it did not appear as if he was hit by anything. 

But that was only the tip of the iceberg as tempers flared in the stands - and broadcasters TNT Sports opted not to show any of it. 

Young Boys' captain Loris Benito and defender Jaouen Hadjam went over to try and calm down the fans but the tinderbox had already been lit. 

Unruly fans started punching and kicking as police tried to suppress the violent outburst. 

Then, fans began ripping seats out from their stations and some were ejected by police.

All the time that this was going on, there were children in the crowd, caught up in the middle of the hostility.  

There was a delay of several minutes for the game to get back underway again, during which time Villa fans could be heard chanting Malen's name. 

Play finally got going after four-and-a-half minutes, and there was seemingly a period of calm, but the away end soon descended into anarchy again. 

There were reports of thugs still ripping out seats and launching them down to the front row and the police and stewards were left with no choice but to step in.

Young Boys ultras have developed something of a reputation for causing chaos, with multiple incidents being sparked down the years.

In September, they were reported to have attacked police at a station in Aarau, Switzerland, after a domestic match.

Five fans needed taking to hospital that night after being burned by their own pyrotechnics.

In October, furious ultras stormed the pitch to confront players after a 2-1 defeat by St Gallen - just days after a 5-0 thrashing by Lausanne. 

They have won six of the last eight Swiss league titles but finished third last campaign.