Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has accepted the controversial VAR decision which ruled out Danny Ings’ goal in their latest 1-0 away FA Cup third-round defeat against Manchester United last night. Aston Villa was denied a penalty in the first half as well but Gerrard has urged fans not to blame officials as there is nothing they can do now and move on.
Gerrard has also suggested that his side need to be more ruthless to pull up big results. Aston Villa dominated the game with plenty of chances but failed to capitalize on that. Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay scored the only goal of the match with the thumping header to help his side progress to the next round. Former Rangers boss also pointed out that they need to defend crosses with tight defence and can not allow free headers like this one.
In the second half, Aston Villa forwards Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins came very close to scoring. Watkins had a great solo run into United defence and his strike was shattered off the upper post. Ings also came close to scoring when he put in McGinn’s free-kick cross past David De Gea. But VAR ruled out the goal after officials had a good look at replays for 4 minutes.
When asked about his reaction to this controversial VAR decision in the post-match conference, Gerrard was calm over the official’s decision, unlike other league managers.
“How long have you got? The officials took three and a half minutes to settle that one. They have looked at two or three things in it. “When VAR is there and they make a decision you have to accept it. There is nothing you can do to change it. The easy way out is to blame luck and the officials, we won’t do that.” – Steven Gerrard on VAR Controversy against Manchester United.
Philippe Coutinho Is Ready To Debut In Next Aston Villa Game:
Aston Villa surprised everyone when then beat Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho. The Villans secured Coutinho on a six-month loan after Steven Gerrard convinced his former Liverpool teammate to join him at Villa Park.
“63 caps for Brazil, a serial winner, played for Barcelona, was incredible at Liverpool.
“I can understand why a lot of supporters up and down the country are speaking about him.” ?
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 7, 2022
The 29-year-old attacking midfielder was not available for their FA Cup clash against Manchester United due to pending paperwork and medical. But according to the Sky Sports News, Coutinho has completed paperwork in Paris and has passed the medical test. He has arrived at Villa Park and is expected to feature in their next game which is a Premier League fixture against Manchester United at home.