“Shock Controversy: Premier League Issues THREE Statements After Explosive Brighton vs Aston Villa Match
The latest Aston Villa news centers on the involvement of VAR in three separate incidents during their impressive 3-0 Premier League victory over Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday.
Villa extended their winning streak to six games in all competitions, with goals from Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, and Donyell Malen securing the three points.
Rashford, fresh off his brace in the FA Cup quarter-finals, marked his first Premier League goal for Villa, while Asensio and Malen added to the tally for a dominant performance under Unai Emery.
However, the match wasn’t without its controversy. The Premier League was prompted to release three separate statements during the game regarding four different referee decisions that were reviewed by VAR.
The first incident occurred in the first half when Villa felt they should have been awarded a penalty after Jack Hinshelwood challenged Jacob Ramsey in the box.
The referee waved away the appeal, and VAR confirmed the decision, stating that the contact did not meet the threshold for a foul.
The Premier League Match Centre later explained on X (formerly Twitter): “The referee’s call of no penalty to Aston Villa, following a challenge by Hinshelwood on Ramsey, was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the contact deemed not to reach the threshold for a foul.”
In the second half, Brighton thought they had equalized just four minutes after Rashford’s opener through Simon Adingra. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed for a handball in the build-up.
A second statement from the Premier League clarified: “VAR checked the referee’s call of goal for Brighton and established Mitoma handled the ball deliberately in the build-up, and recommended an on-field review,” which resulted in the goal being ruled out.
Finally, VAR was called into action again during Asensio’s goal to make it 2-0. Brighton appealed for a foul by Ollie Watkins on Mats Wieffer in the build-up, but after a VAR check, the goal stood.
The Premier League confirmed on social media: “The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the contact between Watkins and Wieffer in the build-up deemed to be mutual, with no foul committed.”
With the win, Villa moved up to seventh place in the Premier League, just two points behind fifth-placed Newcastle and three points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City, although Newcastle has a game in hand.
Villa will next face high-flying Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m.
