Unai Emery told off by fourth official for what he did on touchline in Aston Villa win vs Bologna
Unai Emery was spotted getting a talking to by the fourth official during Aston Villa’s Europa League clash against Bologna.
Villa beat Bologna 1-0, with John McGinn’s first-half strike securing an all-important first victory of the season at Villa Park.
Ollie Watkins missed a penalty in the second half, but the Villans managed to hang on for a precious opening three points in the Europa League.
Empty seats were seen at Villa Park, amid what has been a disastrous start to the season for Emery’s side.
And the fans who were there voiced their frustrations at times, with Morgan Rogers sarcastically cheered by the Villa faithful for completing a pass.
Unai Emery continues to look uncomfortable at Villa Park
Emery was seen storming down the tunnel before full-time as Villa drew to Sunderland, despite his team’s efforts to grab a last-minute winner.
The Spaniard is under mounting pressure at Villa Park, with questions about his ability to lead Villa forward heightening in volume with every passing week.
Thursday night’s victory was a step in the right direction, but it easily could have been another night to forget.
The visitors enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, shots on target and big chances, going extremely close to levelling on several occasions in the second half.
| Aston Villa | Match stats | Bologna |
| 47% | Possession | 53% |
| 12 | Shots | 17 |
| 4 | On target | 7 |
| 1.45 | Expected goals | 1.24 |
| 1 | Big chances | 2 |
| 8 | Corners | 3 |
Santiago Castro struck the bar with a header from close range, and Marco Bizot was required to make a diving save to keep Bologna out in the final seconds.
That being said, Watkins’ second-half penalty should have had Villa out of reach, but the striker could only find the feet of Lukasz Skorupski with a tame effort.
The Mail, page 79, reported on Friday that Emery “paced back and forth” throughout the second half.
“At one point, the fourth official had to ask him to return to his technical area after straying down the line,” the paper wrote.
Key period approaching for Unai Emery
Thursday’s win will have been encouraging for Emery, but the Spaniard will be aware that Villa’s form in the Premier League will carry the most weight in discussions surrounding his future.
Matches approaching against Fulham and Burnley at Villa Park will be seen as absolutely crucial for the Spaniard.
Failure to win in either could prove fatal, with a difficult run of matches against Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool to follow.
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