Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest ref watch: Three decisions Glenn Nyberg got wrong
Aston Villa secured their spot in the Europa League final against Nottingham Forest, and Glenn Nyberg was the man in the middle.
Vitor Pereira's side came into the game with a slender one-goal lead on Thursday, 7 May, only for Ollie Watkins to wipe out the advantage in the 36th minute.
The goal instantly livened up Villa Park, with Emi Buendia taking an aggregate lead from the penalty spot just 13 minutes into the second half after Pau Torres was dragged to the floor inside the area.
John McGinn netted a brace as Villa put four past Forest to secure their spot in the Europa League final, and matters could have been even worse for the visitors had the referee acted appropriately.
Glenn Nyberg easily wound up by the Aston Villa bench
Referees need to use common sense, especially in these types of circumstances, but Nyberg's emotions got the better of him as he stopped the game to issue a yellow card to someone on the Villa bench.
You could see exactly what Tyrone Mings made of the moment. The veteran defender simply laughed back at the referee. It was such a needless incident just 16 minutes into the game.
Sure, stamp your authority. But do that on the pitch. Let your assistants sort out the sidelines.
Jair Cunha counting his blessings on stroke of half-time
Jair Cunha was shown a yellow card just before the half-time whistle was sounded. Replays showed the young Brazilian catching Emi Buendia much higher than first thought.
| Jair Cunha vs Aston Villa | Stats [FotMob] |
| Minutes played | 88 |
| Accurate passes | 87% (33/38) |
| Touches | 46 |
| Tackles | 1 |
| Recoveries | 2 |
| Ground duels won | 50% (1/2) |
| Fouls committed | 1 |
Had VAR intervened, the referee might have changed his decision to a red card, but luckily for the out-of-position 21-year-old, he was allowed to stay on the pitch.
On another day, with a different referee, Forest might not have escaped. It was right on the border.
VAR needed to award blatant Aston Villa penalty
Everybody inside Villa Park knew that Villa were going to be awarded a penalty in the 57th minute. Everyone, apart from Nyberg, it would appear.
Ally McCoist accused the referee of relying on VAR, and that's exactly what it seemed to be, with VAR intervening quite quickly after Nikola Milenkovic dragged Pau Torres over in the penalty area.
It was a stonewall penalty, and ultimately, baffling that the decision wasn't given straight away. VAR shouldn't be needed in a situation like that. Yes, Forest nearly escaped.