Emery blasts VAR over missed red in Villa's semi-final defeat

Unai Emery left the City Ground furious after Aston Villa were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, with the Villa manager saying VAR made a "huge mistake" by not sending off Elliot Anderson for a late first-half challenge on Ollie Watkins.

Anderson caught Watkins on the ankle with his studs in an incident that appeared serious enough to draw a review, yet VAR did not intervene. Watkins did not need treatment, but Emery said he believed the striker was close to a broken ankle and described the non-red-card decision as "crazy." He added: "Where is VAR, where is the referee?" Emery said he had been "so comfortable" with the officiating before that moment, then demanded an explanation for why the review system stayed silent.

The controversy will deepen the focus on how video officiating is being applied in the biggest matches. Premier League VAR protocol says red cards are automatically checked and that VAR can recommend a pitchside review when the on-field decision is clearly and obviously wrong. The system is meant to deal with goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity, yet on this occasion the threshold for intervention was not met in the eyes of the officials, even as Villa and their manager saw a major escape for Forest.

Forest went on to win through Chris Wood's 71st-minute penalty, after Lucas Digne was judged by VAR to have handled Omari Hutchinson's attempted cross. The result gave Nottingham Forest a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg at Villa Park next Thursday, May 7, 2026, and left the Midlands club 90 minutes from a first European final in 46 years. It was also Forest's first European semi-final first-leg victory in 46 years.

For Villa, the defeat ended a nine-match winning run in the Europa League and marked only their second loss in the competition this season. Emery, a seasoned Europa League figure in his seventh semi-final, has lifted the trophy four times with Sevilla and Villarreal, but this tie now demands a response at Villa Park if Aston Villa are to keep their European run alive.