Aston Villa

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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When do you know you belong somewhere?

The Champions League fixture list confirmed Villa were not imagining it - the first win, in the chocolate-box scenery of Bern, seemed almost too easy. Was this all for real? Villa had made it to this level all right, but now they needed to really arrive.

With a little over 10 minutes to go in their second game, against Bayern Munich, it happened. It was all the more sensational because only one man, Jhon Duran himself, could possibly have known what was going to happen.

And yet, even he could not have realised as he ran on to Pau Torres' pass, how his life was about to change. With Manuel Neuer – Manuel Neuer! – advancing towards him, barely taking a glance at the target, Duran hooked the ball around a defender, over Neuer, into the North Stand goal.

Villa Park exploded. Duran, now instantly famous all over Europe, stood as if modelling for his own statue while his team fell around him. As it happened, it took a moment of utter football fantasy to make Aston Villa's Champions League status feel like reality.

At Villa's end-of-season awards, John McGinn won the prize for goal of the season.

"I feel a bit of a fraud to be honest, because that's not the best goal of the season," he said when handed the award.

"I just want to thank Jhon Duran for going..."

Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

We asked you to select your Aston Villa player of the season from the four candidates chosen by our fan contributor.

And with the poll now closed, we can reveal the winner is... Youri Tielemans!

Here's what David Michael from My Old Man Said, external said about him:

After taking almost half a season to start a league game last season, the Belgium midfielder has been Villa's only ever-present starter this time around.

A revelation under Unai Emery, he is now very much the heartbeat of the team. His deeper role limits headline stats, but his influence has been essential for Villa.

See the final poll breakdown

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Newcastle stumbled over the line to qualify for the Champions League after a poor display at home, in the end having to depend on Aston Villa slipping up against Manchester United. A stupid backpass left Villa with 10 men and a mountain to climb at Old Trafford but then came the moment of the weekend.

The goal Villa had disallowed could have put them in the lead. It could have delivered three points and their own place in the Champions League but it was incorrectly ruled out.

Most football lovers will know that when the referee blows his whistle, the game has officially stopped. There are no exceptions, even if seconds later the ball is in the net and the referee has erred badly. VAR is not allowed to interfere.

It's not the first time this has happened to grotesquely effect the outcome of a game but to turn an exciting season on its head and spoil an entire campaign for one side and all its fans, this must be close to unique blunder.

Maybe the rule has to be tweaked, maybe young referees need more training to learn how to deal with these rare situations. Maybe VAR should be allowed some discretion to get involved, but VAR was brought into clarify rules and the rules were adhered too.

This unfortunate situation left a sour taste and then some, but praise at least to Unai Emery once again. In his first interviews post match he dealt with it all with dignity. If only everyone else could take a leaf from his book.

To lose out unfairly and by nothing more than goal difference, not even a single point, at the end of a season must be incredibly hard to bear, but he did.

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Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Bournemouth and Tottenham were the most physical teams in the Premier League this season when considering the distance they covered and the number of sprints performed.

The results might explain why they had a lot of injuries.

Newcastle and Brighton were not too far behind though, with Brighton actually covering the most ground in the league, with fewer sprints.

Chelsea and Liverpool's style of play saw them sprint a lot but not cover a lot of ground, while Manchester City and Arsenal were the opposite (ran a lot but didn't sprint a lot).

Nottingham Forest very much had their own style of play this season as they both ran and sprinted the least.

Aston Villa look poised to sign Feyenoord's 18-year-old Dutch striker Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer this summer. (Sky Sports, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

David Michael
Fan writer

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Season Rating: 8/10 - mainly for the season being full of possibility right until the final few weeks. For the owners and Unai Emery, it will potentially be seen as a step back though.

Happy with your manager? Emery is clearly Villa's best chance of achieving top-level success. However, a developing pattern has emerged of the team choking in high-stakes games where they were favourites, producing poor and hesitant performances - Olympiakos, Monaco (when a result was needed to secure a top-eight finish), the FA Cup semi-final, and now Manchester United.

Is this the manager's fault, or have his players let him down?

Unsung hero: John McGinn - he has been in the odd position where despite being the captain, in a fully fit squad, he doesn't necessarily have an automatic starting position. This season could have been one of transition for him, with the midfielder being phased out, but McGinn has been vital to keep Villa going through a tough season.

Player you would most like to sign: Villa have the team to help Liam Delap kick on, considering he scored 12 goals for a relegated Premier League team at the age of just 22. He has the game and predatory spirit that would suit Villa. But there is a queue forming for his services, which will push his price beyond being decent value.

Right now, my overriding emotion from the season is: In isolation, it has been an enjoyable season, mainly for the Champions League adventure. Looking ahead, because of how the season ended, the main feeling for the bigger picture is one of trepidation and it being a potential sliding doors moment.

Next season features a Champions League now with 30% of the Premier League in it. That is six teams with a chance of better revenue than Villa and the ability to offer players top-tier European football in the summer transfer window. Not ideal.

Do you agree with David's answers? Pick one or two categories and send your views

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

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Here's my quick assessment of Aston Villa's Premier League season - and a return to my August predictions.

Pre-season prediction: 9th

Ended the season: 6th

Aston Villa's fine season ended in the controversy and acrimony of defeat at Manchester United and that disallowed effort from Morgan Rogers, ending their hopes of a second successive season in the Champions League, where they reached the quarter-finals this term.

Unai Emery still produces work that should be the envy of clubs such as Manchester United and Tottenham. He will continue to demand progress under Villa's ambitious owners.

There was certainly a tinge of disappointment in Villa's conclusion, with the mystifying 'no-show' in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley a big blot - then that final day defeat - but Emery has transformed Villa and, with outstanding youngsters such as Rogers, there is still much to be satisfied about.

What I said in August: "Champions League football will put an additional strain on Emery's squad but I fancy top four again."

Read my assessments of the other 19 teams here

Former Premier League referee Chris Foy said Thomas Bramall's decision on Sunday was an "unfortunate incident" but that many referees "would have given a foul in that situation".

Bramall blew for a foul when Morgan Rogers nudged the ball away from Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir before the Villa midfielder put the ball in the net.

Bramall thought Bayindir had two hands on the ball, though television footage suggested otherwise, and because he stopped play before the ball crossed the line, the video assistant referee (VAR) could not intervene.

Foy told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club he was "impressed" by Bramall's showing in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Bournemouth on 20 May - a match that featured a straight red card for each side.

Foy added: "He's been given the [Villa] game on merit, he was worthy of his appointment.

"Unfortunately we're talking about one decision because he made a really good decision to send the goalkeeper off and took his time to give the penalty.

"He was going really well but unfortunately we're talking about this one decision."

Former Villa goalkeeper Shay Given said Bramall will "learn" and "grow" from this situation.

"Let's not forget Thomas Bramall is a human being," he added.

"I find it more difficult when VAR with all different angles make wrong decisions. This guy has just made a human error, it's more forgivable."

Listen to the Monday Night Club's discussion on the incident on BBC Sounds

Former referee Chris Foy explained it can be tricky for officials to be allotted a fixture based on current rules.

Aston Villa have complained to referees' body PGMOL about Thomas Bramall after he made a "big mistake" in their 2-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday that contributed to them missing out on the Champions League.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited told BBC Sport it does not comment on why individual appointments for matches are made.

According to the PGMOL appointments policy, all match officials must submit a declaration of interests form before the start of each season.

Match officials, video assistant referees and assistant video assistant referees are only eligible to officiate games that do not involve a club for which they have a conflict of interest.

This includes clubs they support, have played competitive matches for at first-team level or clubs from the same town or city, excluding London, where the official lives.

The policy also states officials cannot be involved in a match that directly involves a club "which has a strong association with a club for which an interest has been declared".

It is up to PGMOL's discretion to determine if a club has a strong association with that other club.

PGMOL chief refereeing officer Howard Webb can also vary the appointments at his discretion.

Richard Sutherland
Fan writer

Our Aston Villa fan contributor has his say on defeat at Manchester United and missing out on a place in the Champions League and questions the mentality of the squad in some bigger games...

Find more from Richard Sutherland at The Villa Park Podcast, external

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After an eventful final game of the season saw Aston Villa miss out on Champions League football by the narrowest of margins, we asked you for your feelings on the result and season.

Here are some of your comments:

Lee: Emi Martinez has let the club down massively and the performance at Old Trafford was completely spineless. It was in the team's hands and they choked massively. Europa League is still an accomplishment, however, it could have been more and it's disappointing to have seen such a poor performance against an awful side!

Nick: As has happened before with Emery and Villa, that was a mindset issue. Manchester United away. Manchester City away. Setting up tactically against a reputation, not the current shambles of what is in front of you. We shouldn't even talk about that referee. This self-inflicted failure was born from a lack of confidence that starts from the top. This is why the fans are frustrated, and as Spurs fans know well, the reputation of bottling it is hard to shift mentally. We'll see what happens next season but I'd expect big (and not necessarily good) enforced transfers. Missed opportunity.

David: Martinez is a terrific goalkeeper but that challenge was irresponsible and he ignored his duties to the team. If Emery was annoyed with the referee, he should have been furious with his keeper because that sending off has denied Villa Champions league qualification more so than the disallowed goal.

Kevin: Yet again, the players let us down when it matters. Unai is a great manager but he cannot pick the right team at crucial games. Losing out on Champions League will jeopardise any chances of attracting players of the calibre we will need to push on, so we will need to sell players we need to keep and end up keeping the duds.

Jonny: If Martinez leaves so he can play Champions League football, when he could have had it at Villa if it weren't for his mistake, I'll be fuming. I hope that wasn't his last moment for Villa. It's insane that common sense didn't prevail with Morgan Rogers' 'goal'. One nil up and we'd have defended rabidly for 20 minutes. Likely would have been a different result. Infuriating!

Aston Villa missed out on Champions League football on the final day of the season, after a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United.

After the match, Villa complained to the Professional Game Match Officials Limited following referee Thomas Bramall's decision to award a free-kick against Morgan Rogers.

All-time Premier League leading scorer Alan Shearer told Match of the Day: "You'd be absolutely raging - and rightly so.

"The referee has blown too early. Once he's blown the whistle VAR can't intervene. It's a huge error.

"The goalkeeper makes an absolute mess of it. He parries it and he never has control of that ball at any time. I understand the anger, I really, really do."

Former Villa defender Micah Richards added: "It's a howler. The referee has blown and if you actually look he's not in control.

"He [the goalkeeper] has made a mistake and he [Rodgers] has pounced on it. It should have been a goal - it's a simple as that.

"To have a goal disallowed is just not good enough.

"Referees make mistakes and we accept that, but we know with VAR it gives you an opportunity [to correct them]. So just calm down - don't blow too early."

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's 10 final day Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, with highlights and analysis of Sunday's 10-game Premier League finale, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Sarah Mulkerrins
Final Score reporter at Old Trafford

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Speaking to fans beforehand, despite their superior form, there were concerns about Aston Villa's poor record at Old Trafford, with just two wins in the past 39 matches there.

When Villa were struggling to get on the ball and out of their own half early on, this began to loom a little in my mind.

Unai Emery spent the first half alternating between periods of gesticulating wildly and then staring blankly into the distance, arms folded, as he tried to figure out why his team were struggling.

This was even before he saw his keeper red carded, a moment of madness from Emi Martinez, sent off for careering into Rasmus Hojlund.

Emery was then yellow carded himself, reacting angrily to Morgan Rogers' effort being controversially disallowed.

Confusion reigned around the ground and the mood went from bad to worse, as Manchester United went on to score twice, ending Villa's Champions League dreams.

The frustrations with the officiating were clear at full-time, but there will also be frustrations over Villa's lack of a performance over the whole game.

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Former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown has branded the incident involving Morgan Rogers 'goal' on Sunday "just ridiculous".

Rogers nudged the ball away from Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir as he attempted to gather it and put slotted it into the net. However, referee Thomas Bramall blew for a foul, thinking Bayindir had two hands on the ball, though television footage showed otherwise.

Because Bramall stopped play before the ball entered the net, the video assistant referee (VAR) could not intervene and the goal did not stand.

"I feel so sorry for them," said Brown on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "I can't believe that the decision can't be overturned because someone in the VAR building should have done the right thing.

"It is so simple because it is a goal."

Despite the defeat at Old Trafford costing Villa a place in next season's Champions League, Unai Emery was measured and composed when speaking to the media post-match, simply saying: "We have to accept referee mistakes."

"I thought the way Emery dealt with it was excellent," former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson added. "You can imagine what his emotions would have been like after the final whistle, especially knowing his team had missed out on Champions League football because of it.

"To front up to the media and be as humble as he was, I can only praise him.

"He is right that referees are only human beings and they will make mistakes, but they have been given the tools this season to reduce the amount of mistakes.

"This could have been avoided."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Alongside Liverpool lifting the Premier League trophy, the other big story dominating Monday's back pages is the controversial decision not to allow a Morgan Rogers' 'goal' against Manchester United with the score level at 0-0.

Referee Thomas Bramall blew his whistle because he thought Rogers had kicked the ball out of the hands of United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. As that decision was made before Rogers scored, it meant the video assistant referee could not get involved.

The Telegraph and The Times focus on the potential financial cost of Villa missing out on the Champions League while The Express and The Mirror focus on the official complaint the club have made to the Premier League about the refereeing appointment.

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's 10 final day Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Nottingham Forest 0-1 Chelsea

• Liverpool 1-1 Crystal Palace

• Wolves 1-1 Brentford

Arsenal want Aston Villa's Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 32, to return to the club amid interest from Real Madrid in their 29-year-old Spain shot-stopper David Raya. (Sun, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist at Old Trafford

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Aston Villa missed out on the Champions League by the smallest margin as their campaign ended in hugely controversial fashion.

Down to 10 men after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was sent off for charging out of his penalty area and barging Rasmus Hojlund to the floor, Villa's hopes looked over.

But with Everton taking the lead at Newcastle, Villa were in the top five and then felt they should have had the opening goal at Old Trafford only for Morgan Rogers' effort to be disallowed.

Referee Thomas Bramall instantly blew, saying Rogers had kicked the ball out of the hands of United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, and because the decision was made before Rogers then scored, that meant the video assistant referee could not get involved.

Television replays showed the goal should have stood and Emery was furious, even more so when United then scored two late goals with Villa missing out on a Champions League place because their goal difference was worse than fifth-placed Newcastle's.

Then things got messy. In the post-match news conference director of football operations Damian Vidagany, sitting next to Emery, said the club were unhappy 35-year-old Bramall had been given such an important game.

"We are going to send a complaint," said Vidagany. "The complaint is not about the decision, it is about the selection of the referee - one of the most inexperienced referees in the Premier League."

The club then confirmed that complaint later on, although they did admit that "ultimately, we acknowledge the outcome for us will not change".

But, when it all calms down, it will be Europa League football, and not Champions League football, for Villa in 2025-26.