A furious Unai Emery condemned a pivotal VAR decision as “not fair” after Aston Villa’s Premier League title ambitions suffered a potentially fatal blow in a galling 1-0 home defeat to 10 man Brentford.
Villa thought they had clawed level early in the second half when Tammy Abraham bundled home on his second debut, but a torturous VAR review ruled the ball had drifted out of play in the build up, a call that left the Spaniard seething.
“Of course, I accept it. But for me it is not fair,” Emery snapped post match. “My explanation is it is one action after a long time. If the assistant referee did not see it, we must continue playing. I think the problem is the VAR should not be asking in this situation.”
The controversy overshadowed a dismal Villa performance against a Brentford side reduced to ten men after Kevin Schade’s first half red card for kicking out at Matty Cash. Despite the numerical advantage, Villa were stunned when Dango Ouattara hammered the Bees into a shock lead shortly after the dismissal.
Emery’s side, laboured and lacking invention, failed to break down a resolute Brentford defence thereafter, prompting the manager to admit: “I can’t say anything more about it. It is football and of course Brentford played fantastic with one player less than us.”
The result leaves Villa stranded seven points behind leaders Arsenal, with their title challenge now hanging by a thread. More pressingly, the chasing pack for Champions League qualification have been handed a boost, though Villa retain a seven point cushion over sixth placed Liverpool.
For Emery, it was a day where frustration with technology matched his side’s failure on the pitch. The dream of a historic title is fading fast, replaced by the more pragmatic battle to secure a top five finish, a task that suddenly looks far trickier after this VAR inflicted setback.
