"VAR, Where Are You?" – Emery Baffled as Anderson Escapes Red Card in Europa League Semi-Final

Unai Emery expressed disbelief after Elliot Anderson avoided a red card in Aston Villa’s 1-0 Europa League semi-final first-leg defeat to Nottingham Forest, questioning the absence of VAR intervention.

Chris Wood’s 71st-minute penalty secured the narrow victory for Forest at the City Ground, marking only Villa’s second loss in the competition this season, following a 2-1 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles in the group stage. The result also extended Villa’s losing streak to back-to-back defeats across all competitions for the third time this campaign.

While Emery did not dispute the penalty decision—awarded after Lucas Digne’s outstretched arm blocked Omari Hutchinson’s cross—he was left frustrated by another incident. Anderson’s first-half challenge on Ollie Watkins was reviewed for a potential red card after the Forest midfielder made contact with the ball but appeared to follow through dangerously onto Watkins’ ankle.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Emery said: “Fantastic from the referee, fantastic. But the VAR is so, so bad. It’s a clear red card. I don’t understand why the VAR didn’t call the referee—it’s so obvious. It’s a huge, huge mistake. VAR is responsible.”

He added: “The referee did a fantastic job, 10 out of 10. I appreciated how he managed the match for 90 minutes. But I watched it back—wow. Huge. He could have broken his ankle. VAR, where are you? It’s your responsibility; we are professionals. It was clear for everyone. It’s not fair.”

The defeat marked Emery’s first loss in a Europa League semi-final leg since his Sevilla side fell 3-1 to Valencia in May 2014. Prior to Thursday, he had gone unbeaten in eight consecutive semi-final matches in the competition (W6 D2). Despite the setback, Emery remains optimistic about overturning the deficit.

“We couldn’t score, we conceded, but we controlled the game. We lost, but we executed our plan. We had chances and momentum,” he said. “We neutralized their high press, and the match unfolded as we expected. The penalty was an isolated incident. I haven’t reviewed it yet or spoken to Digne—we’ll analyze everything tomorrow.”

Emery concluded: “After the goal, we stuck to our approach to equalize, but avoiding a second goal was crucial. The tie isn’t over; it continues next week. We must fight back.”