What Unai Emery said and what Aston Villa’s complaint to the Premier League could mean after the 2-0 defeat at Manchester United.
Villa only needed a point on the final day of the season to secure a top-five finish - and in turn Champions League qualification - due to Newcastle United’s shock 1-0 defeat to Everton, but their chances were thwarted when Rogers was denied a dramatic opening goal.
Referee Thomas Bramall awarded a foul when Rogers skipped in to dispossess Altay Bayindir, claiming the United goalkeeper had both hands on the ball. Replays showed Bayindir had let the ball leave his grasp as it bounced off his fingertips milliseconds before Rogers arrived at the scene, so no foul should have been given. VAR almost certainly would’ve intervened to put Villa 1-0 ahead, but, crucially, the whistle had already been blown before the ball struck the net.
Amad Diallo then went on to break the deadlock at the opposite end just a few minutes later, adding to Villa’s frustration as they had not only been denied victory but also a place in the Champions League. The misery was then compounded when Ian Maatsen gave away a sloppy penalty for a foul on Amad and Christian Eriksen converted for 2-0.
Unai Emery admitted after the game that United deserved to win but he was bitterly disappointed by the events that unfolded midway through the second half. The Villa boss, who confirmed the referee admitted he had made a mistake, said he will accept it as human error, albeit reluctantly.
“The key moment of course was the goal of Morgan Rogers and how the referee in that moment decided his action,” Emery reflected. “He whistled and of course he needed to have it under his control, waiting for VAR because VAR is coming for it. I believe in VAR. I spoke with the referee and he knows his mistake.”
Then, we asked to clarify whether the referee apologised in the tunnel, Emery added: “Yes, but it’s normal. Today I made mistakes as well. The players made mistakes today. Referees make mistakes. We have to accept these mistakes. I believe in VAR and I believe we have very good referees in the Premier League, but today a mistake. We could’ve got a better result but we didn’t deserve more than we had.”
Will anything come of Aston Villa’s complaint?
Villa’s director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, confirmed to Birmingham World post-match that Villa are yet to file a complaint to the Premier League but plan to do so. The protest is about the appointment of a relatively inexperienced referee for such an important fixture, rather than about the result directly.
Nothing will come of the complaint itself as the result is done and dusted, but Villa hope the Premier League will take note of the club’s frustrations and approach their final-day refereeing appointments differently in the future. Bramall, first promoted to top-tier football back in 2022/23, had officiated only 11 Premier League games this term before today.
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