VAR decision to deny Tammy Abraham goal explained after major Aston Villa controversy

Aston Villa believed they had drawn level against Brentford at Villa Park, only for Tammy Abraham’s goal to be controversially ruled out following a VAR review.

Unai Emery’s side entered the match knowing three points were crucial as they looked to cut the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal back to four points. However, their hopes of a comeback were dented by a contentious officiating decision that later drew explanation from the Premier League Match Centre.

Brentford struck just before half-time when Dango Ouattara found the net, scoring only minutes after Bees forward Kevin Schade had been sent off for lashing out at Matty Cash. Despite the numerical advantage, Villa struggled to capitalise immediately.

In the second half, Abraham—making his second debut for the club after returning from Besiktas—reacted fastest to a save from Caoimhin Kelleher, poking home the rebound to seemingly make it 1-1. Celebrations were cut short, though, as a VAR check was announced to loud frustration inside the stadium.

The goal was eventually disallowed, with officials ruling that the ball had gone out of play roughly 20 seconds earlier in the attacking phase. The Premier League Match Centre later clarified the decision in a post on social media.

“After VAR review, the referee overturned the on-field decision of goal to Aston Villa, with the ball deemed to be out of play within the attacking possession phase,” the statement read. “After review, the ball is factually out of play, so the restart will be a throw-in to Brentford.”

Replays made it difficult to conclusively determine whether the whole ball had crossed the line. While goal-line technology is used in Premier League matches, it does not apply to the touchlines outside the penalty area.

The call proved significant, as it preserved Brentford’s lead and left Villa still chasing an equaliser. It also threatened to hand Emery’s side a second straight home league defeat, following a 1-0 loss to Everton at Villa Park.

Emery had made seven changes from the team that came from two goals down to beat RB Salzburg 3-2 in the Europa League days earlier. Abraham returned to the starting line-up for his second debut, alongside Douglas Luiz, who joined on loan from Juventus after an underwhelming spell at Nottingham Forest.

Emiliano Martínez was restored in goal behind a back four of Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Ian Maatsen. Villa had been unbeaten in their previous ten home matches against Brentford before kick-off.

Before the match, Emery had warned his players to expect a physically demanding contest, praising Brentford’s consistency and tactical organisation.

“They are performing fantastically,” Emery said. “They keep the same mentality and structure, even after replacing important players like Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. The new players have come in and continued their level.

“They are in the top eight, top ten, with 33 points. I respect them a lot for how they compete and how they play. The manager is doing a very good job, and tactically they are excellent. They play very good football and are strong in set pieces.”