'Wow, VAR - where are you?' - Emery savages VAR after bone crunching Anderson tackle goes unpunished

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Martin Macdonald | Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery launched a scathing assessment of VAR following his team's 1-0 loss against Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-final first leg between the two Premier League outfits on Thursday.

A tight affair, the first leg was decided via a Chris Wood penalty after Lucas Digne was judged to have handled the ball inside the penalty area.

That wasn't where Emery's grudge lay, however, as he was more infuriated by VAR not calling for a red card for Forest's Elliot Anderson after the midfielder left studs on the ankle of Ollie Watkins.

Anderson initially got the ball, but the follow-through landed right on the hinge of Watkins' foot, turning it inward.

The referee Joao Pinheiro didn't blow for anything - but he crucially wasn't helped by VAR, either.

"Fantastic, the referee, fantastic," Emery told TNT Sports post-match.

"But the VAR is so, so bad. It's a clear red card - I don't understand why the VAR is not calling the referee because it's so clear.

"And it's very, very important. It's a huge, huge mistake. VAR is responsible.

"The referee - fantastic, fantastic job, 10 out of 10. I appreciated how he managed the match for 90 minutes.

"But I watched it back - wow. Huge. He could break his ankle. Wow, VAR - where are you? Please. It is your responsibility, we are professionals. You are doing very bad work because it was so clear for everybody [to see]. He could break his ankle.

"I respect the referees always but VAR, I don't understand. It's not fair."

Even after having a few minutes to calm down after the furious heat-of-the-moment post-match interview, Emery was adamant in the subsequent press conference that Watkins could have broken his ankle.

"I watched the action of Anderson on Watkins, and the referee did a fantastic job," Emery said.

"I was so, so feeling comfortable with how he managed the game in 90 minutes, but after watching it again, it is the VAR responsibility.

Elliot Anderson walked scot free!!🤯

Ankle breaker but NO RED CARD?!😭😭pic.twitter.com/JOE93T6QML https://t.co/OvEjDHeBEN

— TopCee (@UtdTopCee) April 30, 2026

"It is a huge mistake - a huge mistake. Ollie Watkins was close to breaking his ankle. The VAR has a huge responsibility and he must give us an explanation. It is crazy!

"The ref can't watch it like me. One action like that can break his ankle. The VAR makes sense if they are fair. What is your opinion? Wow.

"In football I work 20 years as a coach. Sometimes decisions are tight. I am 100% with VAR, but we must manage it good and in the right way. One action like that, there is no doubt. Where is VAR?"

The second leg takes place next week at Villa Park as Aston Villa look to claim their first European trophy since 1982 when they won the European Cup, defeating Bayern Munich in the final.

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