Exclusive: Ex-PGMOL chief furious at McGinn incident in Aston Villa v Liverpool
John McGinn found himself at the centre of major controversy in Aston Villa’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Villa Park on Wednesday night.
Unai Emery’s side stalled Liverpool’s march to the Premier League title with goals by Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins. However, Villa have now gone five league matches without a victory with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold scoring for the Reds.
And the game wasn’t without controversy with Liverpool players strongly protesting against Watkins’ goal just before halftime.
McGinn controversy enrages former PGMOL chief
Keith Hackett doesn’t believe Watkins’ goal should have been allowed to stand.
Watkins, 29, put Emery’s men ahead in the third minute of first-half stoppage time after a clever one-two with left-back Lucas Digne.
However, in the build-up to the goal, Scotland international McGinn clearly handled the ball when he won possession from Liverpool’s Diogo Jota.
| Match | Competition | Date |
| Aston Villa v Chelsea | Premier League | 22 February |
| Crystal Palace v Aston Villa | Premier League | 25 February |
| Aston Villa v Cardiff | FA Cup 5th Round | 28 February |
Former PGMOL general manager Hackett hit out at referee Craig Pawson and VAR Alex Chilowicz for not disallowing Watkins’ goal as a result of McGinn’s handball.
“This is not Craig Pawson’s finest hour,” Hackett told Villa News.
“Did he not see that deliberate handball?
“He’s pulled the ball back near the halfway line and Villa went on to score.
“Why wasn’t that penalised? Why is VAR not coming in and disallowing that goal for the handball?
“It was a clear and obvious error that should have resulted in VAR intervention.
“This is really not good enough from match officials at the elite level.”
Aston Villa get lucky as Liverpool stars rage at Pawson
Liverpool were understandably annoyed by Watkins’ goal being allowed to stand.
Jota could clearly be seen instantly calling for Pawson to award Liverpool a free-kick when McGinn handled the ball right in front of him.
And TNT Sports’ footage of the game showed how Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk – as well as Jota and Salah – complained to Pawson while the Villans celebrated.
Pawson missed that handball and he also missed the chance to show some authority by booking those who were arguing with him.