Unai Emery brands VAR decision ‘unfair’ after Tammy Abraham’s debut equaliser is ruled out in Aston Villa defeat

Unai Emery described a VAR decision as “unfair” after Tammy Abraham’s debut equaliser was controversially ruled out during Aston Villa’s 1-0 defeat to Brentford.

Villa appeared to have salvaged a point when Abraham found the net late on, marking his second debut for the club. However, celebrations were cut short after the goal was disallowed following a VAR review, which ruled that Leon Bailey had taken the ball out of play near Villa’s corner flag almost 20 seconds earlier in the move.

The decision proved costly for Villa, whose title hopes suffered a significant blow as they failed to capitalise against a Brentford side reduced to 10 men following Kevin Schade’s dismissal. Despite the numerical advantage, Villa were unable to overturn Dango Ouattara’s earlier strike.

Emery, who is typically reluctant to criticise officials, expressed clear disappointment with the ruling, while stopping short of launching a full-scale attack on refereeing standards.

“I think it’s not fair,” Emery said. “I accept it completely, though. The referees are very demanding of themselves and always want to get everything right. If there is something they can improve, I know they will do it.

“The goal happened a long time after the initial incident. If the linesman didn’t see it at the time, play should continue. It is very difficult for VAR to analyse a situation like this because it is so tight. In these situations, VAR should not ask the referee to intervene.”

The Villa boss also played down the likelihood of any late transfer activity on deadline day, although he acknowledged there could still be movement regarding Harvey Elliott’s loan spell from Liverpool.

Elliott returned to action recently after nearly four months on the sidelines and has featured in Villa’s last two matches. The midfielder has now made eight appearances for the club, with two more triggering an obligation to buy for £35 million next summer.

Villa are keen to avoid activating the clause, while Liverpool may also be reluctant for Elliott to remain unused for the rest of the campaign, as it could negatively affect his market value. As a result, both clubs could yet renegotiate the terms of the deal.

Meanwhile, Brentford head coach Keith Andrews sympathised with Villa’s frustration over the lengthy VAR delays but was eager to highlight his side’s defensive resilience.

“I can understand the fans’ reaction because the delays can take the sting out of the game,” Andrews said. “But it was a defensive masterclass from us, and I have immense pride in our performance.”