Sport
Aston Villa 0-0 Juventus: Unai Emery’s side held to frustrating goalless draw with Juventus in the Champions League
Morgan Rogers saw a late winner disallowed for Aston Villa as Unai Emery's side were held to a frustrating goalless draw against Juventus in the Champions League.
Emery, who is now enduring his longest spell without a win as Villa boss since taking over from Steven Gerrard in 2022, branded the decision to rule out the goal as “strange” during his post-match press conference.
The Villa boss echoed the confusion spreading in the stadium as the referee appeared to allow the goal after it settled into the back of the net – before changing his mind and blowing the whistle for a foul on Michele after a long pause Di Gregorio.
“You know, and everyone knows, in England it's different. The interpretation wouldn't be wrong. In Europe it's different,” Emery said when asked about the decision after the match.
“When we play in the Premier League it's different. In Europe you have to accept that.
“At first I thought he gave the goal. When he changed, it was a bit strange. In those cases there is confusion.”
How Villa were left frustrated
Lucas Digne came closest to the opening goal after his free kick went past the crossbar just before half-time. Ollie Watkins also threatened, but saw his snapshot denied by Di Gregorio in the Juventus goal.
The tension in Villa Park continued to rise as time passed, but so did the disappointment. The hosts missed an edge in the final third, which has been a persistent problem during this dip in form that has now stretched to seven games.
Juventus posed little threat for most of the match, but when they did, Francisco Conceicao was involved. Emiliano Martinez's outstretched arm was the only thing that stopped the number 7 from putting his team ahead just after the hour mark.
Di Gregorio was called into action again to deny John McGinn from close range, but ultimately the hosts didn't do enough in the final third – and pretty much held their ground defensively.
Rogers thought he had taken victory in the dying stages of the match, but his celebration was cut short – after a long period of confusion in the stadium – due to a foul in the build-up. A decision that only worsened the misery for the home crowd.
Thoughts will now turn to how Emery and his coaching staff can tackle this worrying run of form, but the prospect of doing so at Chelsea this weekend, live on Sky Sports, is frightening.
Watkins: The disallowance of Roger's goal was soft
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins in conversation with TNT Sports:
'I thought it was soft.
“It had 0-0 written all over it so it would have been lucky if we had won that one. Referees don't let things go that often in this competition in the Premier League. I have to be careful what I say but it depends really beyond our control.”
Emery: In Europe it could be a violation
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery in conversation with TNT Sports:
“I'm very happy. We dominated the game. In the last action it's the referee's interpretation. In England, 80 percent of them get a goal and it's not a foul. It's very soft.”
“But in Europe it could be a foul. We have to accept it. We were closer than them to winning the match. They are very difficult to beat but we came up with a plan. There were not many clear chances for either teams.”
“It was an exciting match for both teams, but I am happy with the overall picture in the Champions League. We still have the opportunity to finish in the top eight.”
