Premier League referee Rob Jones.placeholder image
Premier League referee Rob Jones. | Getty Images
Aston Villa return to Premier League action this weekend following the international break
Aston Villa find themselves in 6th position in the Premier League table and are one point off the top four. They won 4-0 at home to AFC Bournemouth last time out before the international break. Emi Buendia, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen got their goals against the Cherries as they secured a useful win.
Unai Emery’s side are back in action this weekend on Sunday afternoon as they look to keep their momentum going. They face an away trip to Elland Road against Leeds United. Their upcoming opponents were promoted from the Championship earlier this year along with Burnley and Sunderland.
Aston Villa preparing for Leeds United clash
Aston Villa made a slow start to this campaign but have managed to get themselves back on track. They are aiming to get into the Champions League after missing out last term. Emery’s men lost against Manchester United on the final day and were forced to settle for the Europa League.
They will be eager to get the best out of the likes of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins over the coming weeks. They have both struggled for goals recently and will be looking to hit form soon. Other players like Malen and Buendia have stood up to the plate though and have proved to be unsung heroes.
Who is the referee for Aston Villa’s match against Leeds United?
Rob Jones will be the referee for Aston Villa’s match against Leeds. He caused controversy earlier this season after he wrongly disallowed Fulham’s Josh King’s goal against Chelsea. Jones chalked off the goal after reviewing it on VAR but it turned out he made the wrong call.
Former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA man Keith Hackett slammed his decision and said, as per a report by Football Insider: “Oh dear, oh dear! What is happening to the quality of our officiating? This is not a foul, it is not a careless challenge, and the Fulham goal should have stood. Rob Jones did not require VAR to intervene. Jones should have visited the screen and told (Michael) Salisbury to get lost.”
He added: “Both the referee and the VAR on the day really delivered a poor performance. Frankly, when I was boss of the PGMOL, I think I’d have said to them, ‘you’re away for a month, I’m not putting you in front of any game.’ But that doesn’t happen anymore at the PGMOL, and while Michael Salisbury was not given a VAR role for a bit, I don’t think the sanctions are strong enough. When we get errors of such magnitude in a game, then there has got to be a level of accountability.”
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