Aston Villa suffered a 1-0 first-leg defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in the Europa League semi-final, but it was a VAR controversy — rather than the scoreline alone — that dominated the post-match conversation, with manager Unai Emery publicly calling out officials for what he believes was a decisive error.
The flashpoint came when Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson went over the top of the ball, making direct contact with the ankle of Villa striker Ollie Watkins. Despite the nature of the challenge, VAR official Tiago Martins chose not to recommend a pitchside review to on-field referee Joao Pinheiro, and Anderson was allowed to continue playing without sanction.
Emery was careful to separate his assessment of the referee from his criticism of VAR. Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, the Villa boss offered praise for Pinheiro’s overall performance before turning his focus to the VAR decision. “Fantastic, the referee, fantastic. But the VAR is so, so bad,” he said. “It’s a clear red card – I don’t understand why the VAR is not calling the referee because it’s so clear. And it’s very, very important.”
The Spaniard did not hold back in expressing the scale of his frustration. “It’s a huge, huge mistake. VAR is responsible. I watched it back – wow. Huge. He could break his ankle. VAR – where are you? Please. It is your responsibility; we are professionals. You are doing very bad work because it was so clear to everybody. I respect the referees always, but VAR, I don’t understand. It’s not fair.”
Emery went further, insisting the VAR official owes those involved a formal explanation. “The VAR has a huge responsibility, and he must give us an explanation,” he added. “It is crazy!”
The Villa manager reiterated his belief that the failure to act on the incident could have materially changed the tie, with a potential red card for Anderson likely to have altered the course of the match significantly.
The result leaves Villa facing a one-goal deficit heading into the second leg, with their hopes of reaching the Europa League final now dependent on overturning the deficit. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are one step closer to a European final appearance — a remarkable position for a club that was playing in England’s second division as recently as 2022.
Adding further concern for Villa, according to reports, Ola Aina sustained an injury during the first leg, raising doubts over the Forest defender’s availability for the return fixture. Aina, who previously chose to represent Nigeria’s Super Eagles over England, had been a key figure in Forest’s defensive structure throughout their European campaign.
The use — and misuse — of VAR continues to be one of the most contentious issues in European football, with managers, players, and supporters regularly questioning the consistency of its application. UEFA has not publicly responded to Emery’s comments at the time of publication.
