Unai Emery criticizes VAR decisions after Europa League semi-final loss

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery publicly criticized the video assistant referee (VAR) following his team's 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final.

Emery expressed frustration over VAR's failure to send off Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson after a dangerous studs-up tackle on Ollie Watkins.

The incident occurred in the first half when Anderson's sliding tackle, which won the ball, also caught Watkins' ankle with a high studs-up challenge.

Referee Joao Pinheiro did not take action on the field, and VAR conducted only a brief review before clearing the incident.

Emery praised the on-field referee's performance, describing it as "fantastic" and awarding him a "10 out of 10" for managing the match.

However, he condemned VAR for not intervening, calling it a "huge mistake" and emphasizing the risk to player safety.

Emery stated that the tackle could have resulted in a broken ankle and questioned why VAR did not call the referee to review the incident further.

The match also featured a VAR-awarded penalty for Nottingham Forest, which Chris Wood converted.

Emery accepted this decision, noting that he had not watched the penalty incident but was informed it was correct.

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