Villa to complain to Premier League over 'inexperienced' referee for Man Utd defeat

Aston Villa will make a complaint to the Premier League over the appointment of "inexperienced" referee Thomas Bramall for their 2-0 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, the club said.

Victory at Old Trafford on the final day of the season, with other results going in their favour, would have been enough for Villa to secure Champions League qualification for next season.

United's two late goals from Amad Diallo and Christian Eriksen condemned the visitors to defeat, however.

Villa were furious that a goal which would have put them in front just before Diallo's header was ruled out for a foul by Morgan Rogers on United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.

Bramall deemed that Bayindir had control of the ball with both hands before Rogers nipped in. On the touchline, Villa coach Unai Emery had to be restrained by his coaching staff.

"The complaint is not about the decision," Villa director of football operations Damian Vidagany said after the match when announcing that the club would will file a complaint. "The complaint is about the selection of the referees.

"One of the most inexperienced referees for one of the most difficult matches of the season involving another four or five teams. It's not about the decision. The decision is clear. It's a mistake. The referee apologised for the mistake. We can do nothing. The problem is why the experienced international referees were not here today."

Villa coach Emery said Bramall had admitted to making an error.

"Today we can speak about the season, we can speak about the 90 minutes and we can speak about the key moments," Emery said. "The key moment was of course the goal of Morgan Rogers and how the referee decided the action.

"I spoke with the referee and he knows his mistake. We make mistakes every day, I do as well.

"I believe in VAR and I think we have very good referees in the Premier League. With this goal maybe we could get a better result and Champions League position but we didn't deserve more than the result we have."

Bramall, 35, was promoted to Select Group 1, the highest level for referees in England, ahead of the 2022-23 season. This term, Bramall has alternated between the Premier League and Championship.