Aston Villa’s Unai Emery says Nottingham Forest’s James McAtee should have been sent off in 2-1 defeat

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Unai Emery believes James McAtee should have been sent off after his challenge reduced Aston Villa to ten men in the second half during their 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Forest midfielder McAtee, 23, was booked by referee Andy Madeley in the 81st minute for his challenge on Maatsen, yet Emery felt he was fortunate to escape without a red card. The challenge resulted in Maatsen, 24, being unable to continue and having to leave the field with the score at 1-1. This left Villa with ten players for the remainder of the match, having used all of their five substitutions by the 63rd minute.

Forest’s 88th-minute winning goal, courtesy of Igor Jesus, came down the side Maatsen was absent from, with captain John McGinn having to fill in at left-back. Emery’s first change was also injury-enforced, with defender Pau Torres sustaining a hamstring injury before half-time.

Speaking afterwards, Emery acknowledged that Netherlands international Maatsen could be out for a “long, long time” with an ankle injury.

“We finished with Ian Maatsen injured and with 10 players, and we conceded so many chances in the last minutes,” said Emery, speaking in his post-match press conference. “They (Forest) scored a second goal, and they deserved it.

“But after watching it on TV, I think the VAR referee should call the referee because it’s a tackle, a clear tackle, behind Maatsen, and for me it should be a red card, and it’s different.

“Of course, they (Forest) deserved it. The way they played the second half, they deserved to win. But the decision of the referee, the VAR referee, should be different. We finished the match against Brighton with ten players for two yellow cards for Joao Gomes, and we accepted it.”

Emery during a Premier League game in September

Emery believes that McAtee should have been sent off (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Emery continued: “But today, after the injury to Maatsen, we’re finishing with 10 (players). The opponent tackled, and he injured the player. Of course, he (McAtee) didn’t want to injure our player, but if we can watch it on TV, it (required) VAR to call the referee.

“(It) should have been a red card, and maybe finishing with 10 versus 10, maybe it would have been a different match, but it’s not an excuse for how we played the second half. We also played poorly, and this is our work and our responsibility or my responsibility.”

Forest’s victory means Villa remain winless in the Premier League this season, picking up a single point. They travel to Coventry City on Wednesday for a Carabao Cup fixture before going to Tottenham Hotspur next weekend (September 19) for the final match before the September international break.