Shearer reacts to major Aston Villa v Ipswich controversy as MOTD show new footage
Aston Villa will have been frustrated by the events of the weekend and feel like it is an opportunity missed in their attempt to retain their place in the Champions League next season.
Unai Emery’s Villa side were held to a 1-1 home draw by Ipswich Town as Kieran McKenna’s visitors battle the drop from the Premier League (15 February).
Despite Ipswich going down to 10 men before half-time as former Villa man Axel Tuanzebe received two bookings, the equaliser from Ollie Watkins – who also passed up a glorious chance – could only cancel out Liam Delap’s shock opener as it ended with a point apiece.
Tuanzebe red card discussed by Shearer
Tuanzebe is a familiar player to Aston Villa fans, having represented the club three separate times on loan from Manchester United, making a combined 46 appearances in claret and blue.
His return to Villa Park was a fruitful one for his Ipswich team who will be happy with the result, but a day to forget personally for the 27-year-old after his dismissal for two first-half yellow cards.
The first was issued for an alleged foul on Morgan Rogers, a controversy which was debated in the BBC Match of the Day studio (15 February), as Alan Shearer gave his verdict following slowed-down footage of the incident.
“I understand [the frustration]. [The challenge] on Morgan Rogers, because he actually gets the ball, you know,” Shearer appealed.
“The referee is in a really good position – you see him just backtracking there. If you see it nice and slowly in the replay, he actually gets the ball and certainly before he catches Rogers.
“I can totally understand why Kieran McKenna’s very frustrated with that one. He can’t complain about [the second one] on Jacob Ramsey.”
Aston Villa miss out on huge advantage
Aston Villa remain among the chasing pack in a hotly contested race for the Champions League places.
The Premier League is vastly expected to receive five slots at the top table of European football from the end of this season, meaning the fifth-placed club is also likely to join the top four in qualification.
Emery steered his side to fourth last term and there is certainly no guarantee of repeating the feat with the likes of Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth enjoying superb seasons, and Newcastle United and Fulham also currently above the ninth-placed Villans.
Had Villa beaten relegation candidates Ipswich on Saturday, they would have closed the gap to Forest, Newcastle and Chelsea, who were all beaten during this weekend’s round of fixtures.
Wins for Brighton and Brentford mean the duo are also breathing more closely down Villa’s neck – the race is absolutely wide open and could still result in either top five or bottom half.