We look over the worst VAR decisions that have gone against Aston Villa since its inception in the Premier League.
VAR has long been a controversial topic since it was introduced into the top flight in the 2019/20 season.
Its constant disruptions to games and poor decisions have seen it revamped multiple times since its opening campaign.
Unai Emery’s squad has not been able to escape its inconsistency at Villa Park, with the Birmingham side remaining in the Premier League since its introduction.
In this article, we examine the worst decisions to go against the Villians due to VAR intervention or lack of action.
Disallowed Aston Villa goal vs Crystal Palace, August 2019
On their comeback season in the Premier League, one of Villa’s first games was away to Crystal Palace. In a bid to stay up, the visitors hoped to take something from the fixture.
Jordan Ayew put the hosts ahead late on and looked to be taking all three points. Jack Grealish looked to prevent this as he darted into the box and stumbled over before Henri Lansbury netted a late equaliser.
However, the referee pulled the play back for a free-kick to Crystal Palace for a Grealish dive even though the attacker didn’t. VAR did not intervene causing the visitors to miss out on what could have been a crucial point.
No Aston Villa Penalty vs Arsenal, September 2019
Another game early on in VAR’s lifecycle. Villa travelled to the Emirates aiming to cause an upset.
The visitors took the lead in the game before Arsenal went down to 10 players. However, the Gunners would produce a comeback and take a 3-2 lead in the 84th minute.
Despite this, Villa should have had a chance to equaliser late on when Conor Hourihane’s effort hit the arm of Sokirates in the box. VAR failed to overturn the resulting in Villa losing 3-2.
Disallowed Aston Villa goal vs Burnley, January 2020
In a crucial game in the battle for survival, Villa faced Burnley at Turf Moor looking to pick up their second victory in three games.
The visitors looked to have gotten off to the perfect start when Grealish bundled the ball into the net. However, VAR intervened and Wesley’s ankle was somehow adjudged to be offside in the build-up.
Luckily, Villa would go on to win the game 2-1 with both Wesley and Grealish getting the goals.
Disallowed Aston Villa goal vs Leicester, December 2021
Villa face Leicester back in December 2021 with the hosts aiming to leapfrog the visitors. The Foxes went 1-0 up before Ezri Konsa equalised in the first half.
Villa then thought they took the lead at half-time when Jacob Ramsey slammed the ball into the net. However, VAR deemed the midfielder to have fouled the ‘keeper for the goal despite him only having one hand on the ball.
Thankfully, the goal didn’t matter in the end as Konsa would get a second as Villa won 2-1.
Crystal Palace pen vs Aston Villa, August 2022
Another incident down at Selhurst Park. The Villains were on the back foot and found themselves drawing 1-1 after Wilfried Zaha quickly equalised after Ollie Watkins’ early opener.
However, things went from bad to worse when Palace were awarded a controversial penalty just after before the hour mark. VAR adjudged Lucas Digne to have handball inside the box despite it being accidental.
This then resulted in Palace taking the lead after Zaha netted the round before winning 3-1.
Douglas Luiz’s red card vs Fulham, October 2022
In a crucial game for manager Steven Gerrard, Villa travelled to Fulham looking to put an end to their recent poor form.
At the hour mark, they found themselves 1-0 down before Douglas Luiz was controversially sent off. In an off-the-ball incident, the midfielder was adjudged to have instigated a coming together with Aleksandar Mitrović and VAR subsequently sent him off.
However, this wasn’t the case and Villa appealed the red card. It was then rescinded.
Liverpool’s opener not being disallowed vs Aston Villa, September 2023
In the fourth game of the 2023/24 campaign, Villa faced a trip to Anfield. Unai Emery’s side got off to the worst possible start when Dominik Szoboszlai netted an opener after three minutes.
However, this goal was highly controversial as Mohamed Salah was seemingly stood in an offside position, obstructing Emi Martinez’s view. VAR failed to intervene and Villa went on to lose the game 3-0, a result that could prove to be highly costly come the end of the campaign.
