Ten-man Aston Villa were denied a place in the Champions League after Morgan Rogers’ goal was controversially disallowed by an early whistle from referee Thomas Bramall before Manchester United scored twice to end a woeful Premier League season on a high.
Villa had goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez sent off in the first half but looked to have strengthened their grip on a Champions League position when Rogers poked the ball free from United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and turned it into the net.
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But a VAR review into whether or not Bayindir had two hands on the ball when Rogers challenged him was halted because Bramall had blown his whistle for a foul, stopping the game before Rogers had shot.
With Villa reeling and manager Unai Emery fuming, Manchester United took the lead through an Amad header before the same player was, correctly, awarded a penalty, which Christian Eriksen converted.
Despite Newcastle losing 1-0 to Everton, the defeat for Villa means they will be in the Europa League next season.
The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell and Mark Critchley analyse the key moments.
Why was Rogers’ ‘goal’ disallowed?
Cruelly, three minutes ended up defining Aston Villa’s season.
It started when Bayindir rushed out of his goal but appeared to fail to collect the ball cleanly, with Morgan Rogers stealing in before turning around to score into an empty net. However, referee Bramall had controversially already blown his whistle to signal a foul before Rogers scored, meaning VAR could not intervene.
Bayindir initially appeared to collect the ball cleanly but, at the point at which Rogers challenged him, he seemed to have let the ball bounce into only one hand.
Rogers poked at the ball and, with it loose, then completed his challenge and had an open goal to shoot at.
But as the incident was checked by VAR, it became clear the referee had blown the whistle before the goal, meaning the decision could not be overturned.
That decision was much to the ire of Villa and the coaching staff, who furiously protested on the sidelines. Had Villa gone ahead, they would have been in control of securing a Champions League spot.
But, to compound matters, Amad headed in three minutes later to put United a goal ahead. Villa fell to sixth, outside the Champions League places on goal difference.
It proved the difference between Champions League football and not, as well as the minimum of £30million generated for participating in the competition. Villa’s season ended in messy circumstances, with Emery sarcastically applauding Bramall after awarding United a penalty for a foul on Amad.
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The Premier League’s match centre posted on X that: “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.”
Jacob Tanswell
What was Emi Martinez thinking?
Aston Villa supporters continued to sing Emiliano Martinez’s name as he made the long, lonely walk down the tunnel before half-time. His sending-off — in what could be his last Villa appearance, despite Unai Emery dismissing the notion before kick-off — was indicative of the visitors’ first half.
They were passive and loose in possession, with Matty Cash’s poorly weighted backpass directed to Martinez the worst of the lot.
It gave Rasmus Hojlund the chance to intercept and Martinez, having taken a high starting position, fatally deciding to charge out and towards the striker, rather than slowing down.
The Argentina international was always second-favourite for the ball and duly shoulder barged Hojlund, who intelligently had taken a touch around the goalkeeper. It left referee Thomas Bramall with little other choice than to show Martinez a red card and compound Villa’s dysfunctional first half.
As The Athletic has previously reported, Martinez’s future is uncertain and he was in tears following Villa’s final home match against Tottenham Hotspur last week. Martinez had started the game at Old Trafford remarkably well, making two big saves from Mason Mount and ensuring Villa, who failed to register a shot in the first half, went into the break goalless.
Yet how it ended put Villa on the back foot for the rest of the match and led to the visitors being unable to mount a sustained response in the second half.
Jacob Tanswell
How important is Amad to Manchester United’s future?
Once United’s goal eventually came, there was an air of predictability about it. Amorim’s wing-backs had caused problems for Villa all afternoon — especially down the right, despite a rotating cast on that side.
Noussair Mazraoui picked up dangerous positions and linked play well in 20 minutes on the pitch before limping down the tunnel with what looked like a hamstring injury.
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His replacement, Diogo Dalot, picked up where he left off — not only hitting the post, but at one point breaking in behind Villa’s backline to latch onto a dinked Bruno Fernandes ball, then miscuing a pass that would have presented Rasmus Hojlund with a tap-in.
Yet he too was forced off earlier than expected, with Amad switching to the right flank. On the goal, the 22-year-old’s run from deep at the far post to connect with Fernandes’ cross was timed perfectly. He won the penalty Eriksen converted, too.
Amad has rarely disappointed in that role, offering the dynamism that it requires, but Mazraoui and Dalot covered more ground than usual in their cameos there too. And when Amorim’s wing-backs look as dangerous as they did today, some of the many question marks about this system subside.
Mark Critchley
How close were United to scoring in the first half?
It was not quite night and day, but it was an altogether brighter, livelier United than the one seen in Bilbao. If you wanted to be cynical, you could say it’s because the pressure was off.
But Amorim’s side began with a sense of purpose despite having so little to play for, ending the first half with nine shots to Villa’s one.
Yet it was also the 27th time that they have failed to score in the opening 45 minutes this season — the joint-most in the Premier League alongside relegated Leicester City and Southampton.
42 goals is United’s lowest tally of the Premier League era, ‘beating’ the previous low by seven. But it should have been better, at least slightly. Only Crystal Palace have underperformed their expected goals to a greater degree than United.
This season has been desperate, but it didn’t need to be desperate if more of Amorim’s players could finish their dinner. No wonder a new centre-forward is such a priority.
Mark Critchley
What did Amorim say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What did Emery say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for United?
Wednesday, May 28: ASEAN All-Stars, Friendly (Malaysia), 1.45pm UK, 8.45am ET
(Top image: TNT)
This news was originally published on this post .
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