Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Wed 13 May 2026 17:56, UK

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Unai Emery will be pleased to see Chris Kavanagh in charge of Aston Villa’s trip to Liverpool on Friday night.

The Villans are in need of three points to confirm their place in the Champions League next season, although one eye will undoubtedly be on Wednesday’s Europa League final.

Villa qualified for the Budapest clash with Freiburg after beating Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the second leg of the semi-final last week.

But Sunday’s draw with Burnley has kept a confirmed finish in the top five slightly out of reach, for now, with some pressure hanging over the last three games of the season.

Emery will hope Villa’s form will be enough to at least win one of the three, which would be enough to confirm a return to Europe’s premium competition.

Chris Kavanagh to take charge of Liverpool vs Aston Villa

Kavanagh was at the centre of Premier League controversy last week, when West Ham’s goal against Arsenal was disallowed in the final seconds of a key clash at the London Stadium.

The 40-year-old had given the goal on the pitch but was advised to go to the pitch side monitor, eventually overturning his decision when he saw a foul from Pablo on David Raya.

Kavanagh will be back in the spotlight on Friday night, with his last game that involved Villa also provoking huge debate.

Emery’s team hosted Newcastle United in the FA Cup in February in a game played without VAR, with it quickly becoming clear why the technology is needed.

Kavanagh got the decision to send Marco Bizot off right, but that was where the punishment on Villa stopped.

Firstly, Tammy Abraham’s opening goal was allowed despite having been clearly offside – a problem for the linesman, rather than the referee.

But the man in the middle missed a red card for Lucas Digne for a nasty tackle on Jacob Murphy, and in undoubtedly the worst decision, Kavanagh inexplicably gave a free kick for the left-back’s handball offence that had been well inside the penalty box.

Newcastle would ultimately have justice when they won 3-1, and speaking after the game, Emery admitted: “Today VAR makes sense. VAR is necessary to help the referees.”

Villa’s recent record when refereed by Kavanagh

Before February’s FA Cup clash, Villa were unbeaten in four games officiated by Kavanagh.

In total under Emery, the Villans have lost just two of eight games across all competitions when refereed by the Englishman.

But wins have not been massively common, too, with just three of them since the Spaniard has been in the dugout.

Kavanagh will hope to keep out of the headlines on Friday, and the Villa manager will also hope for the same as his team look to build some momentum.

There may even be some suspicion that last week’s events could play on the 40-year-old’s mind, although Friday’s game presents far lower stakes.