Champions League Race: Why Aston Villa’s Goal vs Manchester United Was Disallowed
- Aston Villa failed to qualify for next season's Champions League after they were denied a controversial goal against Manchester United
- Morgan Rogers scored, but referee Thomas Bramall penalised him for robbing the ball off Man United's stand-in goalkeeper Altay Bayindir
- To make matters worse for Unai Emery's side, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) wasn't involved in the decision-making due to a little-known rule
The Premier League has come out to explain why Aston Villa were denied what looked like a clean goal during their decisive match against Manchester United on Sunday evening.
Source: UGC
Villa head to Old Trafford on the final day needing a win and results elsewhere to go their way for them to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Why Villa's goal vs Man United was disallowed
The afternoon started on a disastrous note with a surprisingly decent United side keeping them at bay. Emi Martinez was sent off just before half-time after he hauled down Rasmus Hojlund, who would have been through on goal.
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In the second half, Morgan Rogers thought he had given Villa the lead against the run of play, only for referee Thomas Bramall to disallow it.
Rogers was penalised for nicking the ball away from Altay Bayindir before slotting it into an empty net.
Why VAR wasn't involved in Morgan Rogers' disallowed goal
The Video Assistant Referee couldn't intervene as Bramall had already blown his whistle before Rogers tucked the ball away, as explained by the Premier League.
"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."
The decision inadvertently cost Villa a place in the Champions League next season as Amad Diallo soon after opened the scoring on the other end.
The Ivorian met a perfectly weighted cross from Bruno Fernandes and guided it past Martinez's replacement Robin Olsen to give the Red Devils the lead in a Premier League game for the first time since the start of May.
Diallo then won a penalty later on, which Christian Eriksen converted in his last game for the club.
Source: Getty Images
The result meant Villa finished in sixth place and will thus play in the Europa League. A draw could have been enough for them to leapfrog Newcastle United and qualify for the Champions League as the Magpies lost to Everton 1-0.
Aston Villa submit PGMOL complaint
The Birmingham-based side later took to social media and called out the referee's body in England for appointing an inexperienced official to take charge of such a consequential 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 club squarely put the blame on Bramall's decision for their failure to qualify for the Champions League.
"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."
This season's Champions League quarter-finalists admitted that the result of the game couldn't be changed now, but issued the statement nonetheless to serve as a warning to avoid future occurrences.
Why EPL will have 6 teams in the Champions League
In a separate report, the Premier League will have six teams in the Champions League instead of the usual four next season.
Champions Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United qualified through their league standings, while Tottenham won the Europa League by beating Manchester United to get direct qualification.
Aston Villa and FA Cup winners Crystal Palace will play in the Europa League, while seventh-placed Nottingham Forest will play in the Conference League.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
