Credit: Imago

Carla Devine

Wed 26 February 2025 11:30, UK

Richard Keys says Aston Villa can be angry after what happened to them in their Premier League defeat against Crystal Palace.

It was a disappointing night for Villa after they fell to a crushing 4-1 loss at Selhurst Park on Tuesday (25 February).

However, there was a crucial moment just before half-time when a Morgan Rogers goal was disallowed due to Ollie Watkins being judged offside.

Richard Keys calls out VAR over Aston Villa goal

Having gone 1-0 down in the 29th minute, equalising just before the break was great timing from Villa putting them in a stronger position for the second half of the game.

However, after Rogers had scored the goal, VAR stepped in claiming that Watkins, who assisted the goal, was offside in the build-up.

It was a very tight call and led to plenty of outcry, with the decision not clear or obvious with a lack of camera angles making it impossible to tell.

While it wouldn’t have necessarily changed the result on the night, the Villans would have undoubtedly done things differently had they come out for the second-half level.

Instead, Unai Emery’s side went on to have a disastrous evening and lost the game a whopping 4-1.

Posting on his X account (26 February), Keys raged: “Villa have got every right to be angry today.

“It’s impossible to be accurate with crayons and protractors. Broadcast cameras are slow compared to goal-line technology. We don’t have a tracking mechanism between the ball and player. Where is semi-automated? Stop finding ways to disallow goals.”

Unai Emery needs Aston Villa levels to rise again

Despite having a generally good season, Villa have seen their form become inconsistent of late and Tuesday’s game was no different.

Although one disallowed goal cannot be blamed for a 4-1 thrashing, Villa will certainly feel disappointed with the decision as it was a tight call, something VAR is synonymous with unfortunately.

The result leaves Emery’s side sitting 10th in the Premier League but only two points away from Manchester City in fifth place so there is still plenty to play for.

In addition to this, the West Midlands outfit have an FA Cup tie against Cardiff City on Friday (28 February) that they will be expecting to win with another great opportunity for silverware.

With Champions League action still ahead for Villa too, Emery’s side cannot afford to get stuck on disappointments.

A game against Championship opposition up next could be exactly what Villa need to get some momentum back and progress forward in better form.