Aston Villa's late drive for Champions League qualification came to a disappointing end with a controversial 2-0 defeat against Manchester United on the last day of the season.
The attention immediately turned to the Non -Adoestaneous goal of Morgan Rogers in the 73rd minute, in which VAR could not intervene after referee Thomas Bramall had blown his whistle before the ball hit the back of the net, with Amad Diallo and Christian Eriksen and then secured the victory for United.
The defeat meant that Villa remained in sixth place, level at points with Newcastle in the fifth, and missed a place under Europe elite on goal difference.
“The decision to refuse the goal of Morgan Rogers, that the club would have given a 1-0 lead with 17 minutes to go in the game, was an important factor for the club that was not eligible for the Champions League,” read a Villa statement after the game.
Although the statement is true, this is not the only reason why Villa eventually missed back-to-back qualification for the Champions League.
Here, Sky Sports looks a look at the determining factors in the season of Villa, so that they have settled to settle for a place in the Europa League next season.
The games that Villa will chase
By gaining seven of the eight victories in the Premier League before meeting the man Utd side of Ruben Amorim, Villa had catapulted itself back in the race for Champions League places, but they did not always have the same momentum.
Immediate attention focuses on the games that the race could have influenced in their favor. The six -minute change in the city area against Nottingham Forest, another side that staggered in their search for the top five, hurt the most.
Jhon Duran gave Villa the lead just after the hour Mark, but goals of Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga, in the 87th and 93rd minutes, meant respectively, meant the Emery team left empty -handed.
The late winner of Matheus Nunes against Manchester City was one of the more recent Dagken.
Before the loss for United, it was the last time Villa had tasted the defeat in the competition. One point of one of those luminaires would have moved them to the top five.
Then there is the striking problem that will probably chase everyone who is associated with the club and will only take two points from the relegated Ipswich.
Villa held on to pull 2-2 away from home, with Ippswich the more threatening side for a large part of the fixture, but failed to beat them at home, even after the former Lineer Axel Tuanzebe was sent in the first half, was undoubtedly a missed opportunity.
There was also the 2-0 defeat in February against Wolves, who were then 18th and had not won in their last five Premier League matches.
Shoot themselves in the foot – admit first
The qualification for the Champions League last season for the first time in 42 years was quite the performance, but it took its toll.
Dealing with the physical aspect of the increased level and the intensity of the games in midweek was a problem, but the mental side and concentration was another.
Their slow start of games in the competition emphasize the impact it had. During the campaign, Villa gave 16 goals from the first shot on goal they had confronted in the luminaire, most of each side.
While they retrieved 18 points from losing positions, ranked in the division sixth, sometimes the slow starts turned out to be too expensive to avoid, as the loss for the city clearly demonstrated.
Points fell from winning positions
Starting slowly could be tackled by the quality that Villa had at their disposal and the talent they could call from the bank.
However, not seeing games with the time that ends in the last phases of the luminaire was not possible. Emery's side fell 16 points from winning positions, without a team that dropped more in the campaign.
For comparison: Newcastle dropped only seven points and thereby ensured a top five place.
Losing the lead against Liverpool, with West Ham signing equalizer thanks to their second half and too late to both Bournemouth and Brighton in Villa Park – they were difficult opportunities for Villa, but they were still opportunities. The mistakes arrived earlier in the season, but eventually came back to chase them.
Blessing in disguise for villa?
Despite the disappointment at the last obstacle, it is difficult to claim that the season has not been one of the most memorable for the club.
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain will live long in the memory of Villa supporters, as well as the spicy comeback that was almost against the PSG side of Luis Enrique, who went to book their place in the final.
But the last match against United has somewhat soured the campaign. The dust will have to settle on the frustration of Old Trafford before the excitement for the following season can start building.
As Tottenham demonstrated, the Europa League can bring unprecedented joy and with Emery at the helm, Villa has a real chance to end their 29-year waiting time for silverware. No manager has won the trophy more than he did.
The way they missed will be difficult to take, but the fall of the Europa League can become a disguised blessing for this villa side.
Sky Sports to show 215 Live PL games next season
From next season, the Premier League coverage of Sky Sports will increase from 128 games to at least 215 games that are exclusively live.
And 80 percent of all Premier League matches broadcast on television will be on Sky Sports next season.