Gary Neville reacts as Unai Emery set for Aston Villa touchline ban

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was unfortunate to be booked against Arsenal, Gary Neville says.

The Villans boss will now serve a touchline ban against West Ham (26 January) after being handed a yellow card in the 2-2 draw at the Emirates on 18 January for kicking the ball away.

His side put up a remarkable comeback from a two-goal deficit in the clash through goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins.

Speaking live on Sky Sports Premier League (18 January, 18:57), Neville claimed that the booking was harsh, saying: "I'm not sure he is kicking the ball away, he kicks it pretty quick.

"I'm not sure that was a booking."

Big loss for Aston Villa

Emery was handed his first booking of the season against Everton on September 14 for dissent towards referee Craig Pawson in a 3-2 win.

His second was also for dissent against Wolves in the 3-1 victory on September 21 but he has avoided another yellow card until now when he received a questionable caution.

The Spaniard's influence in the technical area will be a huge miss for the clash against the Hammers next week.

However, Villa should be able to get past Graham Potter's side without him calling the shots as they are the better side by a considerable margin.

The Irons have lost four of their last six in all competitions including a 2-1 defeat against Emery's side in the FA Cup third-round clash on 10 January.

Therefore, they should not miss their manager too much and should be able to get the job done regardless of his presence on the touchline.

In other Aston Villa news, Gary Neville has slammed Ian Maatsen for a moment during the draw with Arsenal.

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