Aston Villa captain John McGinn has the “incredible” decision to exclude Morgan Rogers goal at Old Trafford during the 2-0 defeat that cost the visitors a place in the Champions League.
Although he was reduced to 10 players after the red card of Emiliano Martinez before the break, Villa thought they had taken the lead with 17 minutes when Rogers kept the ball away from goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and curled his efforts home.
However, the goal was quickly excluded by referee Thomas Bramall for an alleged error on Bayandir, where the whistle was blown before the ball crossed the line.
Repetitions showed that Bayindir did not have the ball completely when Rogers put it free, but because the whistle was already blown, VAR could not intervene.
“The appeal of the referee was a free kick for Manchester United with Bayindir who had the ball under control before Rogers got possessed,” read a Premier League Match Center statement on X.
“The whistle was blown by the referee before the ball entered the goal, so the incident was not too revising by the VAR.”
Amad Diallo would score three minutes later before Christian Eriksen doubled the benefit for United from the penalty spot in the 87th minute.
The loss meant that Villa missed the qualification of the Champions League about goal difference, while a point would have been enough to lift them in the fifth after the 1-0 defeat of Newcastle against Everton.
After the match, McGinn told TNT -Sport: “Difficult to take, especially in the circumstances.
“Nobody in the dressing room or watching felt like we deserved to win. Man Utd was the better team, but the decision is incredible.
“Everyone, when VAR was implemented, wanted correct decisions. I know it's the rule, but it's so hard to take, especially with the impact it has on us.
“To whistle at that time, it is difficult to take. All you need is a point to get to Champions League.