Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was left seething with VAR official John Brooks after his team's 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest, claiming a clear penalty was overlooked.
Emery argued that Morgan Rogers was pulled down by Elliot Anderson in the first half, but neither referee Sam Barratt nor VAR Brooks stepped in to award Villa a spot-kick.
Despite Villa taking the lead through Jhon Duran, following an impressive save from Emiliano Martinez, late goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga snatched victory for Forest. In his post-match press conference, Emery expressed his dismay: "Now I have watched it, it’s a clear penalty.
"It’s a massive mistake from the VAR. Today the VAR is a big mistake because it was clear, he (Rogers) had an advantage. Please. OK, not the referee. I respect the referee and I respect the VAR, but the VAR is there to help the referees.
"We watched it after because everybody is VAR. We are watching it on TV, it’s a clear penalty. Where is the VAR?"
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The loss marked another occasion where Villa failed to secure a win following a midweek Champions League game, but Emery refused to use European commitments as an excuse, pointing out last year's success while competing in the Conference League.
Forest's ascent into the top four has sparked whispers of Champions League aspirations, especially after their recent triumph over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
This victory continues their stunning reversal of fortunes since narrowly avoiding relegation last season.
The architect of this revival, Nuno Espirito Santo, is savouring a "great moment" but remains level-headed amidst the excitement.
When quizzed on Forest's top-four potential, he said: "We are competing against all the teams in the Premier League, it’s not about that, it’s about preparing the next one, focusing on the task ahead of you and realising that you didn’t achieve anything.
"Today is a big moment, let’s enjoy it together, all the fans, players. But we know that Brentford is going to be so tough, just look how many goals they have scored.
"We are now trying to work on that, that is what is most important, game-by-game. I think we should enjoy this because they are special moments. The previous game, today. We want to do it together, us and the fans, today was very special."
