Aston Villa

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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."

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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.

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We asked for your views on Aston Villa's performance against Manchester United and the season as whole.

Here are some of your comments:

Steve: Wonderful season - just didn't turn up for the two big games at Wembley and Old Trafford. Today, we were poor but that bit of refereeing with Rogers' goal was a disgrace. Ah well, still good memories.

Simon: Emery just doesn't seem to be able to get a performance out of his side when it really matters. In fact, they've been at their poorest when it is a winner-takes-all situation. Added to some head-scratching team selection.

Tim: The goal should have stood but, let's be honest, we didn't deserve anything from that. Just like in the FA Cup semi-final, we froze when it mattered and played way too passively - even before we went down to 10. We have a real problem playing against five at the back. On the bright side, we are probably favourites for the Europa League next season. UTV!

Chris: A season that promised so much ends disastrously. A huge financial hit in missing out on the Champions League and probably highlights Emery's limitations as a top coach.

Ross: Europa League is the correct result from a good season. We were stretched squad-wise with Champion's League football, yet we rose to the challenge and put up a great fight! Our sights should be set on winning the Europa League next season.

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Unai Emery spoke to TNT sports about Morgan Rogers' disallowed goal in their defeat to Manchester United: "The TV is clear with the move but of course, we have to accept it. It was a mistake. A big mistake.

"The match we played overall in 90 minutes with the red card and this goal disallowed, it was a key moment. but overall, they did more. But we showed resilience with one player less. We could have scored one goal and it would have been a good opportunity to continue and keep the result. We didn't perform enough today to get a good result but we could get it, in case some decision weren't like it was."

On Aston Villa's season: "We did a big effort during the second part of the season. We lost the chance to be in the top five during the first half. I was happy with how we progressed in the season and achieved the opportunity to play today for the Champions League position.

"We got the Europa League and we have to be more or less happy about the achievement. But we were close to the Champions League. We have to be happy and proud of everything we did but we always want to improve. We need to keep going and the Premier League is the most difficult league and to get Europe through the league is difficult."

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Emiliano Martinez became the first goalkeeper Opta has on record since 2003-04 to make five saves and get sent off in the first half of a Premier League game, while he was the first Aston Villa goalkeeper red carded in the Premier League since Brad Friedel in March 2009 against Liverpool.

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It went right down to the final day but the European places for next season are now finally confirmed.

Manchester City and Chelsea's wins saw them secure third and fourth respectively, while Newcastle took the fifth and final Champions League spot despite a final day loss to Everton.

Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest's defeats mean they miss out on the top five but will be heading on European adventures in the Europa and Conference Leagues respectively.

Chelsea's win means there will not be an additional spot for eighth place so Brighton's victory at Tottenham does not creep them into Europe.

So the curtain has come down on Aston Villa's season with a defeat at Manchester United.

Defeat at Old Trafford means the Villans will not play Champions League football for a second consecutive season, but a Europa League campaign - in which they will be one of the favourites - provides some excitement for fans.

Unai Emery will have plenty of thinking to do over the summer to decide if any of the club's loan players deserve a permanent switch to the West Midlands.

How are you feeling after the game and at the end of a long campaign?

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance and season

Come back to this page later to find a selection of your replies

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

Is this a sign of what is to come for Manchester United with the players they are happy to let leave in the summer? United boss Ruben Amorim leaves goalkeeper Andre Onana, winger Alejandro Garnacho and forward Joshua Zirkzee out of the matchday squad.

Victor Lindelof, who is out of contract in the summer, starts, while Christian Eriksen, set to leave the club, is among the substitutes.

Altay Bayindir, Ayden Heaven and Lindelof start with three changes from the side that lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final.

Manchester United XI: Bayindir, Heaven, Maguire, Lindelof, Mazraoui, Dorgu, Casemiro, Fernandes, Diallo, Mount, Hojlund.

Subs: Heaton, Dalot, Evans, Fredricson, Ugarte, Collier, Eriksen, Mainoo, Obi.

Aston Villa are unchanged from the side that beat Tottenham 2-0 in their last Premier League match, although they are boosted with the returns of Youri Tielemans and Jacob Ramsey, who are both among the substitutes.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Maatsen, Torres, Konsa, Cash, Onana, Kamara, McGinn, Asensio, Rogers, Watkins.

Subs: Olsen, Digne, Mings, Tielemans, Barkley, Garcia, Ramsey, Malen, Bailey.

All 20 teams are in action on the final day of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign, and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Bournemouth v Leicester City

• Fulham v Man City

• Ipswich v West Ham

• Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Man Utd v Aston Villa

• Newcastle v Everton

• Nottingham Forest v Chelsea - Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Southampton v Arsenal

• Tottenham v Brighton

• Wolves v Brentford - Listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

All kick-off times 16:00 BST

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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Unai Emery's side have earned an unrivalled 24 points since the beginning of March, winning eight of their nine Premier League matches during that period.

But they need one more win today.

Villa will secure Champions League qualification if they win and, either Manchester City lose or Newcastle or Chelsea fail to win.

A Villa draw would be enough if Newcastle lose.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim badly needs some kind of positive result to end the season with, and he would probably bite your hand off now if you offered him a draw against Aston Villa, who really need a win to have a chance of making the top five.

With what's at stake for Villa, though, I am expecting them to take the points. Unai Emery's side will be too good for United, and Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers could really do some damage to their defence.

I feel sorry for Amorim, because he seems like a really nice guy who is very likeable, but that will not help him keep his job.

We asked one United fan who called up 606 on Wednesday night whether he would want to keep Amorim on and he said he would love to have Sunday lunch with him. But that is not the same as wanting him to stay on as manager, is it?

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

With the 2024-25 Premier League season coming to a close, we would love to hear what you think of this club page.

A huge thank you to those who have already submitted their responses and have interacted with the page in any capacity throughout the campaign.

We are continuously working to improve your experience and bring you the best possible content and coverage of your team.

It is your club and your voice.

So what do you like?

And what could be improved?

Send thoughts here

We asked you to pick your player of the season after our Aston Villa fan contributor narrowed it down to Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, John McGinn and Lucas Digne.

Here are some of your comments on your selection, as well as some other names thrown into the ring:

Prit: We've had a lot of good performances from different players at different stages of the season and the article plays tribute to that. But my choice would have to go to Boubacar Kamara. When we struggled, he was the glue that held Villa together, for example, playing across the midfield and even in defence. Now that we have got our players back, he is our driving force a la David Platt . The cherry on the cake is that now he is taking shots on goal and scoring! But it's been a very tough decision this season, which is exactly how we want it.

James: Tielemans. This was the season he showed Villa fans what a class player he really is. A killer passer and a dominant midfield presence alongside McGinn, he has proved the difference in a lot of games and he's played in over 50 of them this season.

Steve: Tielemans has been our most consistent player over the season and our most creative player. But the player who makes us tick and is generally man of the match in our best performances is Kamara. If only we could keep him fit for a whole season, we would be two to three places higher in the league.

Rob: It's been hard to single out one standout player because we've got quality everywhere you look. But I've gone with Rogers as my player of the season for his physicality, ability to win one on ones and his consistent attacking threat.

Ian: Youri has changed every Villa fan's opinion this season, going from a player we hoped would be successful to an irreplaceable part of the clockwork alongside Bouba Kamara, making our engine tick. His ability to see and then pick out his target has created some of the most memorable moments of a memorable season. He plays with a smile and has become undroppable. Thanks and big love, Youri!

Roger: You missed Ezri Konsa. He'd be my pick, so as he's not included, I'm out.

Mike: Tielemans is my player of the season, not just for his consistent performances and contributions in this campaign, but also because of how far he's come since joining the club and not being able to get a start for such a long time. He's stuck at his job, proved he deserves to be in the starting XI - and forced Unai Emery to build the midfield around him. He is probably the only certainty on the teamsheet other than Emi Martinez.

Don't forget to make your selection here

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Manchester United have won 40 Premier League games against Aston Villa – only the Red Devils themselves have beaten an opponent more often (42 wins over Everton).

However, Villa have earned eight points from their past seven Premier League games against Man Utd (won two, drawn two, lost three), as many as in their previous 31.

Villa have won just one of their past 26 final league games played away from home, winning 3-1 at Chelsea in 2001-02.

Aston Villa head into the final day of the Premier League season outside the Champions League qualification spots, but would failing to make it represent an unsuccessful season for Unai Emery's side?

Former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown tells The Football News Show why reaching the Europa League would be something for Unai Emery and his side to be proud of.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer