Referee Thomas Bramall disallowed what could have been Villa’s opening goal, sparking a heated exchange between Unai Emery and the official after the final whistle. ..Continue Reading
Morgan Rogers had seemingly put Villa ahead after capitalizing on a mistake by United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, slotting the ball into an empty net.
However, Bramall ruled that Rogers had committed a foul, despite replays suggesting Bayindir did not have full control of the ball.
Adding to Villa’s frustration, the referee blew his whistle before the ball crossed the line, preventing VAR from reviewing the decision.
Emery was visibly furious on the touchline and confronted Bramall as they headed down the tunnel.
Villa’s complaint centers on the selection of the referee, with club officials believing a more experienced official should have been assigned to such a crucial match.
Bramall, who was promoted to Select Group 1 in 2022, has officiated both Premier League and Championship games this season, with the Old Trafford fixture marking his 11th top-flight assignment.
And the club wrote on X after the match: “Aston Villa can confirm the club has written to the PGMOL to raise concerns over the selection process of match officials following today’s game with Manchester United at Old Trafford. With such high stakes surrounding today’s fixture, the club believe a more experienced referee should have been appointed. Of the 10 referees to officiate across the Premier League today, Mr. Bramall was the 2nd least experienced.
“The decision to disallow Morgan Rogers’ goal, which would have given the club a 1-0 lead with 17 minutes remaining in the match, was a major contributing factor to the club not qualifying for the Champions League. As per the standards that have been established over the course of the season, a decision to whistle early is clearly inconsistent with current refereeing guidelines. VAR exists to ensure that these types of situations receive the scrutiny they deserve. Unfortunately, the technology was not allowed to serve its purpose.
“Ultimately, we acknowledge that the outcome for us will not change, but we believe that it is important to address the selection methodology to ensure that high stakes matches are treated as such with regards to officiating and to ensure that the implemented VAR technology is allowed to be effective.”
Villa skipper John McGinn called the decision ‘incredible’, adding in an interview with TNT Sports: “I know the rule but it’s hard on us. For him to blow his whistle at that point, it’s really, really tough to handle. It’s a really costly one. We only needed a point to reach the Champions League.”
Emery added: “We played with the [Emi Martinez] red card, this action, this goal disallowed, it was the key moment. But overall, Manchester United deserved it more.
“But we showed resilience with one player less. It was a good opportunity to show our resilience and keep our result, but we did not perform enough today to get that result.”
