Aston Villa have lodged a formal complaint to the Premier League over the appointment of Thomas Bramall for their crucial match against Manchester United on Sunday.
The club are protesting the selection of the 35-year-old referee, whom they describe as 'inexperienced', for a fixture that ultimately cost them Champions League qualification following a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
The controversy centred around a disallowed goal when the score was 0-0. Morgan Rogers appeared to poke the ball through Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir's hands before scoring, but referee Bramall blew his whistle before the ball crossed the line.
This crucial decision meant VAR could not intervene to review the incident, and moments later United took the lead through Amad Diallo before Christian Eriksen added a second from the penalty spot.
Aston Villa have lodged a formal complaint to the Premier League over the appointment of Thomas Bramall for their crucial match against Manchester United on Sunday
GETTY
Villa's Director of Football Operations Damian Vidagany clarified that their complaint focuses on referee selection rather than the specific decision.
"The complaint is about the selection of the referees, one of the most inexperienced referees for one of the most important matches of the season," Vidagany said, speaking alongside manager Unai Emery in the post-match press conference.
"The problem is why the most experienced referees were not here today."
The Premier League issued a statement explaining their position on the disallowed goal.
JUST IN: Unai Emery rages and explains chat with referee after controversy in Man Utd win over Aston Villa
Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers had a goal disallowed against Man United
PA
"The referee's call was a free kick to Manchester United with Bayindir deemed to be in control of the ball before Rogers gained possession," the statement read.
"The whistle was blown by the referee before the ball entered the goal, therefore the incident was not reviewable by the VAR."
Speaking to TNT Sports afterwards, Emery acknowledged the impact of the decision.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen, 27, makes fury clear after struggling at Monaco Grand Prix
"Good evening. The TV is clear with the move but of course, we have to accept it. It was a mistake. A big mistake," he said.
"The match we played overall in 90 minutes with the red card and this goal disallowed, it was a key moment."
When asked if the referee had admitted the mistake, Emery tellingly responded: "The next question?"
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Villa captain John McGinn called for rule changes following the incident.
"I think everyone wanted the correct decisions when the VAR was implemented. You watch rugby, even if the referee has awarded a try and it's wrong, its overturned," McGinn said.
"It's so so hard to take especially when the impact it has on us, as a club and a team, is so big."
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery cut a frustrated figure following Sunday's defeat to Man United
PA
Despite his frustration, McGinn acknowledged: "I don't think we deserved to win but if you were 1-0 up at that point and all you need is a point to get to the Champions League, it's costly."
The defeat means Villa finish sixth in the Premier League, missing out on Champions League qualification. Despite the disappointment, McGinn highlighted the positives from their campaign.
"The boys are gutted. But European football three years in a row, we need to hold onto that and see what next season brings," the Villa captain said.
