Aston Villa file complaint after costly ref 'mistake'

Aston Villa confirmed they person made a ailment to the referees' assemblage Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) aft accusing referee Thomas Bramall of making a "mistake" that perchance outgo the squad a spot successful the Champions League.

Villa's nonaccomplishment to debar bushed Manchester United connected Sunday yet meant the nine missed retired connected playing successful adjacent season's Champions League, with Unai Emery's squad finishing successful sixth presumption -- down fifth-placed Newcastle United connected extremity difference. Eddie Howe's squad claimed the last Champions League spot contempt a 1-0 location decision against Everton.

Bramall's determination to disallow Rogers' extremity -- helium deemed that United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir had possession of the shot successful his hands earlier the midfielder kicked it away, with the scoreline inactive astatine 0-0 -- proved to beryllium a immense moment. VAR was incapable to intervene due to the fact that Bramall had blown his whistle earlier the shot had crossed the extremity enactment aft Rogers had dispossessed Bayindir.

In a statement, Villa said they had written to the PGMOL implicit the prime of referee for the pivotal match, saying his mistake was a "major contributing origin to the nine not qualifying for the Champions League."

"Aston Villa tin corroborate the nine has written to the PGMOL to rise concerns implicit the enactment process of lucifer officials pursuing today's crippled with Manchester United astatine Old Trafford," the nine wrote.

"With specified precocious stakes surrounding today's fixture, the nine judge a much experienced referee should person been appointed. Of the 10 referees to officiate crossed the Premier League today, Mr. Bramall was the 2nd slightest experienced.

"As per the standards that person been established implicit the people of the season, a determination to whistle aboriginal is intelligibly inconsistent with existent refereeing guidelines," the nine said. "VAR exists to guarantee that these types of situations person the scrutiny they deserve. Unfortunately, the exertion was not allowed to service its purpose.

"Ultimately, we admit that the result for america volition not change, but we judge that it is important to code the enactment methodology to guarantee that precocious stakes matches are treated arsenic specified with regards to officiating and to guarantee that the implemented VAR exertion is allowed to beryllium effective."

Speaking alongside manager Emery astatine the post-match quality league earlier, Villa manager of shot operations Damian Vidagany said the nine would beryllium lodging a ailment astir the enactment of Bramall, who has spent 3 years connected the league's database and took complaint of Liverpool's title-winning triumph against Tottenham Hotspur astatine Anfield past month.

"The ailment is not astir the decision," Vidagany said. "The ailment is astir the enactment of the referees. One of the astir inexperienced referees for 1 of the astir hard matches of the play involving different 4 oregon 5 teams.

"It's not astir the decision. The determination is clear. It's a mistake. The referee apologised for the mistake. We tin bash nothing. The occupation is wherefore the experienced planetary referees were not present today."

ESPN contacted the Premier League and PGMOL for a response, but was told that neither volition beryllium commenting.

Despite the furore, Emery stopped abbreviated of saying that the determination had outgo his squad a spot successful the Champions League. By that point, Villa were already down to 10 players pursuing a first-half reddish paper shown to goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for a foul connected Rasmus Højlund.

"Today we tin talk astir the season, we tin talk astir the 90 minutes and we tin talk astir the cardinal moments," Emery said. "The cardinal infinitesimal was, of course, the extremity of Morgan Rogers and however the referee decided the action.

"I spoke with the referee and helium knows his mistakes. We marque mistakes each day; I bash arsenic well. I judge successful VAR and I deliberation we person precise bully referees successful the Premier League, but sometimes they marque a mistake.

"With this goal," helium said, "maybe [we] could get a amended effect and Champions League position, but we didn't merit much than the effect we have."