The Premier League has issued a statement regarding Aston Villa’s controversial disallowed goal, but it has done little to ease frustrations within the club.
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Villa believed they had taken the lead in their crucial final-day clash against Manchester United when Morgan Rogers dispossessed goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and slotted the ball into an empty net following Harry Maguire’s header. ..Continue Reading
However, referee Thomas Bramall blew his whistle before the ball crossed the line, ruling that Rogers had fouled Bayindir and awarding a free-kick to United.
Replays suggested that Bayindir did not have full control of the ball, meaning the goal should have stood.
Despite this, the rules state that once the whistle is blown, a goal cannot be retrospectively awarded, even if the decision was incorrect.
VAR briefly reviewed the incident but could only confirm that the whistle had sounded before the ball entered the net, preventing any intervention.
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Villa have since lodged a formal complaint with the PGMOL, raising concerns over the officiating and the selection of referees for high-stakes matches.
Their Match Centre account tweeted during the United vs Villa match: “72’ – The referee’s call was a free kick to Manchester United with Bayindir deemed to be in control of the ball before Rogers gained possession.
“The whistle was blown by the referee before the ball entered the goal, therefore the incident was not reviewable by the VAR.”
But vexed Aston Villa are not letting the matter lie and have written in a complaint.
A statement read: “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 second 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.”
Aston Villa’s frustration deepened when Manchester United quickly capitalized on the controversial decision, with Amad Diallo opening the scoring.
Christian Eriksen later converted a penalty to secure a 2-0 victory for United, leaving Villa in sixth place and narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification due to goal difference, as Newcastle also suffered a defeat at home to Everton.
Referee Thomas Bramall has officiated matches across both the Premier League and Championship this season, with the Old Trafford fixture marking his 11th top-flight assignment.
Interestingly, his total number of Premier League games is significantly lower than that of Bobby Madley, who served as the fourth official for the match.
Captain John McGinn was raging after the game and said: “I think everyone wanted the correct decisions when the VAR was implemented.
“You watch rugby, even if the referee has awarded a try and it’s wrong, its overturned.
“It’s so so hard to take especially when the impact it has on us, as a club and a team, is so big.
“It’s really, really tough to take and handle. I don’t think we deserved to win but if you were 1-0 up at that point and all you need is a point to get to the Champions League, it’s costly.
“Moving forward, the rule has to be looked at as the correct decisions were not getting made at the end of the day. I think [referee] Thomas [Bramall] knew. It probably wasn’t fair on him at that moment either. The boys are gutted.”
Asked if the ref acknowledged his mistake, he said: “He didn’t really know what to say.
“Because of the impact it has on us as players and our careers, the club, you are obviously angry. I think he is a young referee who has progressed very quickly.
“Maybe we could look at having more experienced referees. I don’t know. It’s just an incredible decision and makes today even worse than it should be.”
Villa manager Unai Emery added: “It was a mistake. A big mistake.
“The match we played overall in 90 minutes with the red card and this goal disallowed, it was a key moment. But overall, they did more.”
Emery revealed he spoke with the referee after the match: “Yes, I told him but he knows it [he made a mistake].”
