Aston Villa legend blames referees for missing out on Champions League after defeat to Man United
Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert
Aston Villa suffered a painful defeat to Manchester United in the final round of the Premier League. The 2-0 loss at Old Trafford dashed the Villans’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, and club legend Gabriel Agbonlahor is absolutely furious.
Details: Gabby accused the referees of costing Aston Villa a place in the Champions League, insisting that their decisions in the match against Manchester United led to Unai Emery’s side having to settle for the Europa League. And missing out on the Champions League means missing out on the vital funds the club desperately needs.
Quote: "Attention PGMOL and Howard Webb. Not only did you cost Aston Villa £100 million, you’ve cost us our fight with financial fair play. The same fight we take on every season. You also destroyed Aston Villa’s chance to play in the Champions League again. That would have attracted top talents and helped us keep our best players.
The Premier League is the biggest league in the world, featuring the best coaches, the best managers, and the best players from across the globe. So my question to you, Howard: why don’t we have the best referees from around the world, and instead keep relying solely on those from the UK?
For heaven’s sake, Howard, please use former players to make VAR decisions next season. And finally, don’t respond—let me repeat, do not respond—with pathetic apologies. Sincerely yours, Gabriel Agbonlahor," reads the letter from the former Aston Villa striker to Webb, published by talkSPORT.
Reminder: Late in the first half, Aston Villa were reduced to ten men after Emiliano Martinez was sent off. Then, with the score at 1-0 in favor of Manchester United, an Aston Villa goal was disallowed, and later a penalty was awarded to the hosts, which Christian Eriksen duly converted.
