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Unai Emery issues Champions League demand after Aston Villa controversy

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has voiced his dismay at the decision to disallow his team's potential winning goal in their Champions League face-off with Juventus, deeming the call "very soft" and demanding greater consistency from referees across Europe.

Morgan Rogers seemed to seal a spectacular victory for Villa when he fired in a rebound during stoppage time, only for Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano to judge that Diego Carlos had impeded Juve's keeper Michele Di Gregorio, ruling out the goal.

Despite what appeared to be slight contact, VAR did not step in, leaving Villa to share the spoils in a goalless deadlock.

"With the last action, it is the interpretation of the referee," Emery remarked. "In England, 80 per cent of those is given a goal and it’s not a foul. It’s very soft. But in Europe, it could be a foul. We have to accept.

"Everybody will know, in England the interpretation is different. The England referees, when actions like that the interpretation is a clear no foul but in Europe that interpretation is different."

The Villans boss stressed the need for uniformity: "They have to be working to get the same decision when some action like that is coming. I don’t know exactly why but we knew before in the Premier League that it is different.

"In Europe for example we are not doing a block like in England and we are not doing in front of the goalkeeper in offensive corners the same situations like in England.

"When the action happened, I was thinking here in Europe it’s a foul. In England not, but in Europe I have to accept it.

"At first, I thought the referee gave us a goal. In cases like that, it’s confusing because he has to wait for VAR. I don’t know what happened but I think so (the referee changed his mind with VAR)."

It was a disappointment for Villa, who remain unbeaten at home in their debut Champions League campaign and are still in contention to qualify automatically for the last 16.

"We were playing a favourite to be in the top eight and usually a contender to win this competition," Emery added.

"We are a team who for a long time didn’t play in Europe and the Champions League and this year is very important.

"We wanted to play competitive and we are in the right way. Today to get one point is very good, we wanted to win but wanted to avoid some mistakes we made in previous games. We have 10 points and we’re happy."

Before the game Emery called Juventus one of the "best teams in the world, historically and now" but this was an Italian side down to the bare bones.

Only 14 outfield players made the trip from Turin, with striker Dusan Vlahovic among those who stayed behind.

Juve boss Thiago Motta, whose side are 19th but still in contention to reach the top eight, said: "There’s just three games left to qualify. The next home against Man City, then Brugge, then Benfica.

"One at a time, as we always did with the goal to qualify for the next round. In the end we will try and reach our goal which is to go to the next round."

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