Manchester Utd v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[PaulWinch again]

Referee fucked up - it’s not corrupt, but it’s a real fuck up. But in any case, we would still qualified had the result stayed the same. But we conceded immediately, which was reflective of the utterly pathetic display we put in.

[KevinGage]

Pretty sure everyone knows that when the ref blows play is dead. The system did nothing wrong today, the ref blowing too soon is the fuck up.

Except VAR can go back, review and override decisions.  We've even had decisions where a game has ended, only for a penalty to be reviewed and given after the final whistle. 

I agree that the under the current rules then the correct process was followed, but after seeing that today you do have to question if that is the right process.

The process is fine. The daft decision to blow the whistle was the only problem.

Blowing the whistle is part of the process. VAR is supposed to correct clear and obvious errors, it's mental that a ref blowing up for whatever means no VAR.

Agreed.

If that's the process, the process is a load of old cock.

Wrong is wrong. If the technology is there to see and correct, use it.

Or bin it off entirely.

[SaddVillan]

Europa is easier to win these days as you don't have a bunch of CL sides dropping in halfway through. Doesn't mean we'll win it, we're Villa, but we have a good chance.

Doing better in the league while in the Europa compared to being in the CL is probably harder though due to the heavy number of shite Thursday to Sunday turn-arounds.

Already booked a hotel in Istanbul for 19-21 May next year.

[villa for life]

Europa is easier to win these days as you don't have a bunch of CL sides dropping in halfway through. Doesn't mean we'll win it, we're Villa, but we have a good chance.

Doing better in the league while in the Europa compared to being in the CL is probably harder though due to the heavy number of shite Thursday to Sunday turn-arounds.
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Already booked a hotel in Istanbul for 19-21 May 2026.

Is that for the final against Crystal Palace?

[JUAN PABLO]

At least two ways to get in the chumps league next season and get some leaders in next season. 

[PeterWithesShin]

Blowing the whistle is the end a live ball. It's why "play to the whistle" is the most basic thing, not ignore the whistle and crack on just in case.

[aj2k77]

Europa is easier to win these days as you don't have a bunch of CL sides dropping in halfway through. Doesn't mean we'll win it, we're Villa, but we have a good chance.

Doing better in the league while in the Europa compared to being in the CL is probably harder though due to the heavy number of shite Thursday to Sunday turn-arounds.
[/quo
Already booked a hotel in Istanbul for 19-21 May 2026.

Is that for the final against Crystal Palace?

I'll spare you the hassle. We lose 3-0 and Sarr gets a couple.

[cdbearsfan]

I suppose we should be grateful he didn't book Rogers for kicking the ball away.

[dorsetvillian]

On way home. Terrible performance from team and Uni. So difficult to take as we only needed a point.  Watching the sending off the Utd's forward first touch took him so wide that Emily simply didn't need to make that block. Konsa was also covering. That summed up our display. The so called No. 1 goal keeper in the world making an terrible decision which cost us any real hope.  Also worrying is another no show along with the Semi Final. It's the hope that kills you...

[amfy]

Pretty sure everyone knows that when the ref blows play is dead. The system did nothing wrong today, the ref blowing too soon is the fuck up.

Except VAR can go back, review and override decisions.  We've even had decisions where a game has ended, only for a penalty to be reviewed and given after the final whistle. 

I agree that the under the current rules then the correct process was followed, but after seeing that today you do have to question if that is the right process.

The process is fine. The daft decision to blow the whistle was the only problem.

Blowing the whistle is part of the process. VAR is supposed to correct clear and obvious errors, it's mental that a ref blowing up for whatever means no VAR.

But anything that happens with the ball after the whistle has blown hasn't happened. Because the ball is no longer in play.

Maybe there could be a change to say VAR could review (1) whether the whistle has been blown incorrectly and (2) whether that made any material difference to what followed?
In this case, the ref had stopped play, but there was no Man Utd player in a position to stop Rogers scoring even if he hadn't blown.

[paul_e]

Absolutely gutted with the result, the wrongly disallowed goal, going down to 10 men and our abysmal performance. If the goal was allowed to stand, we'll never know if we would have gone to avoid defeat.

No  the only thing we can know for sure is that we had a 100% legitimate goal chalked off because of incompetence. Nothing else matters and trying to justify it as "maybe they'd have worked harder and won 3-1 instead" or that we should account for a decision like that is just some weird coping bullshit. The ref has fucked up and cost us but some people would rather bitch and moan at Maatsen, Emery, Martinez, etc and I have no fucking idea why.

No idea why? How about if they had turned-up and performed, we wouldn't have needed to count on the ref to make a correct call? I know you don't generally criticise the team even when we play poorly but surely you can understand folkbeing pissed-off with how we failed to turn-up first and foremost.

That's his fucking job, his sole purpose in being there is to ensure a fair game and he failed in donig so in the most spectacular fashion.

I've criticised the team plenty todaty, we were shit, Cash and Emi both fucked up massively when what we needed, at the time, was to see it through to halftime. I'll even call out Watkins for his worst performance in years for us.

My point is that none of that is more important than what happened with the ref. We'd been shit for 72 minutes, and then we took our chance and had it stolen from us from by a genuinely unacceptable decision.

This one isn't even subjective or arguable, it's just flat out wrong, he got the decision wrong (but acceptably so) and then compounded it by taking away his ability to be corrected. If he'd blown after the ball was in the net and said he thought it was a foul I'd be annoyed but I'd accept it. If VAR upheld it with some silly excuse I'd be pissed off but, after a few days I'd let it go but that's not what happened. He blew his whistle as we were in the act of scoring, meaning there's absolutely fuck all anyone can do, and as a club we can argue that it's cost us the best part of 20% of our revenue for next season.

Be frustrated at how we played sure but when players are being sold for PSR balancing reasons over the summer don't forget this fucking twat of a ref has played a huge part in that being necessary.

[aj2k77]

In tennis if the judge calls it out but it's not and the player reviews it then if the opponent couldn't have gotten to the ball it's given as a point. Football is fucked with this VAR though.

[PeterWithesShin]

Problem is you'll then have the other side say "we stopped because of the whistle". How do you prove that either way every single time. One side will say one thing, the other side something else.

[john2710]

It's clear we didn't deserve anything other than a defeat. We simply didn't turn up. A mistake from Cash & some lunacy from Emi cost us. But, despite all that, we should have been 1-0 up with 15 mins to go. We'll never know how the game would have ended but a draw would have been enough.

I don't believe in any conspiracy, but it is either bias or a monumental fuck up by the ref. An error that's going to cost us £40m+. It should be the end of that ref's career but I doubt it will be.

[The Edge]

One of the worst things with that appalling decision by the ref is the fact that he was 30 yards away and his view was obscured by Rogers. He basically guessed. I'm absolutely furious with the incompetent twat. And I still don't really understand why var can't put the wrong decision right just because he has blown his whistle? Why is that even a rule? The ball went into the net so the game had stopped anyway so it would have been easy for them to tell him over the radio that he had cocked it up and then instruct him to award the goal.