O’Hara hits out at ‘disgraceful’ Old Trafford scenes in Man United v Aston Villa
Aston Villa were dealt a cruel blow on the final day of the season as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.
The result means that Unai Emery’s side missed out on Champions League football on goal difference, finishing the campaign in sixth.
Villa’s match with United was not short of controversy, with Emi Martinez given a straight red card on the stroke of half-time.
Yet the most crucial moment of the game came in the second half, and Jamie O’Hara was left fuming.
Morgan Rogers goal controversially ruled out at Old Trafford
Villa knew they would have to get a positive result and rely on other scores to go their way on the final day.
However, their task was made even more difficult when Martinez was given a red card for clattering into Rasmus Hojlund.
Despite the sending off, Emery’s men went in 0-0 at the break and knew they still had a chance against Ruben Amorim’s struggling side.
Fortune appeared to be favouring the Villa Park club as Newcastle United conceded against Everton to trail 1-0.
Then, ecstasy turned to agony as Morgan Rogers gave the Villans the lead, only to have his goal chalked off by the referee.
As the referee had already blown his whistle, the incident could not be referred to VAR for review.
The referee adjudged that Rogers kicked the ball out of Altay Bayindir’s hands, and he believed the goalkeeper had two hands on the ball.
To make matters worse, United bagged two goals through Amad Diallo and Christian Eriksen to put a dagger in the heart of Villa’s Champions League hopes.
| Statistics | Man United | Aston Villa |
| xG | 2.86 | 0.40 |
| Shots | 25 | 6 |
| Shots on target | 10 | 1 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 1 | 8 |
| Fouls | 10 | 10 |
| Corners | 4 | 3 |
However, footage suggests the man in the middle got the decision wrong, much to O’Hara’s frustration.
On his X account (25 May), he said: “VAR is an absolute joke, so are the refs, how have you disallowed Villa goal, disgraceful.”
Villa have every right to feel aggrieved
With so much riding on the game, the last thing Villa needed was for a refereeing decision to influence the result against them.
If Rogers’ goal had stood, then Emery’s men could have gone on to win the game and qualify for the Champions League.
However, now they will have to settle for the Europa League and will generate less revenue as a result.
Aston Villa intend to make a formal complaint to the Premier League, but the damage cannot be undone.