Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has taken some positives after his side missed out on qualification for next season’s Champions League, Afrosport reports.
Villa lost 2-0 at Manchester United on the final day of the Premier League season to ultimately finish sixth, having started the day in fifth place.
The defeat denied them the chance to play with Europe’s elite for a second season in a row, having reached the quarter-finals of the ongoing campaign.
The Midlands outfit will now settle for a place in the Europa League next season, which represents their third consecutive campaign in a European competition, having been in the Conference League last term.
“Frustrated, but we are in the Europa League, we are in Europe,” Emery said.
“Last year in Conference League, this year in Champions League and next year in Europa League.
“To be in Europe is important, and being in three years in a row, I think, is something we are showing our consistency.”
Emery cut a frustrated figure against United after Morgan Rogers had a goal disallowed by VAR while goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was given a straight red card for bringing down Rasmus Hojlund outside the penalty area.
The Spaniard believes those decisions cost his team and believes the referee made a mistake.
“It was the key moment for the sending off of Emiliano Martínez and, of course, after it, we needed to be resilient, we needed to defend, we needed to defend low block, goalkeeper, and believe in our moment to get some attacking actions, or some corners,” he added.
“We scored one goal, and normally, this goal, if the referee was under his control, this moment, to wait before to whistle this action, I think it was a goal, after VAR. We watched on the TV.
“But we are making mistakes, the players, they are making mistakes and the referees, sometimes they are making mistakes.
“We have to accept it. We lost, and we didn’t deserve more.”
You mean everything to us, Villans
Your support was, and always has been, top tier throughout the 2024/25 campaign — thank you
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— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 26, 2025
Aston Villa have since written to refereeing body PGMOL to raise concerns over the selection process of the match officials, stressing the importance of selecting effective personnel for such a high-stakes match.
