After suffering a 2-0 defeat to Man Utd, Aston Villa missed out on Champions League qualification by the narrowest of margins on a disappointing final day of the Premier League season.
Second-half goals from Amad Diallo and Christian Eriksen sealed the win for the hosts at Old Trafford, and consigned Villa to sixth place in the standings.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Man Utd: Woeful display ends in disappointing defeat
Despite getting a favourable result elsewhere that opened the door for us to claim a top-five finish, Villa ultimately couldn’t get our own job done and that will be the source of real frustration when reflecting and assessing this campaign.
A big summer lies ahead with important decisions expected which in turn will shape how the squad evolves, and while the Europa League is an important consolation, it’s not what Villa were looking for when the day began.
Villa fall short, finish where we deserve to be
Ultimately, we fell short of our desired objective of qualifying for the Champions League, and that wasn’t just a result of Sunday’s events, it was a reflection of where we deserve to finish after the entire campaign.
We’ve conceded costly late goals, dropped points in games against sides lower down the table and not shown up in some big games against some of our more direct rivals.
That said, we’ve also shown further progression and great consistency in the second half of the season to put ourselves in this position, and so while there will be disappointment and frustration over how it ended, there are positives and negatives to take from this past year.
Martinez potentially ends Villa stint with red card
While Matty Cash did him no favours with the poor pass back to him, Emiliano Martinez ended what was potentially his last game as a Villa player with a costly red card as we were reduced to 10 men just before the break.
It looked as though the script was written in our favour after the opening 15 minutes, as the Argentine shot-stopper made a string of crucial saves to keep us in the game, and it would have been fitting for him to play a fundamental role in getting us over the line for Champions League qualification.
However, it wasn’t to be the ideal storybook ending – if this does indeed prove to be his last appearance as a Villan – and there will be no-one more heartbroken over that than Martinez himself who has made no secret of his desire to bring success to the club.
Referee controversy proves costly
As bad as Villa were throughout this game, Thomas Bramall’s decision in the 73rd minute to blow his whistle prematurely and rule out Morgan Rogers’ goal has cost us massively, as it threatens to have major ramifications for the club this summer.
There’s no doubt that Man Utd deserved to win the game as they were the better side and created chances throughout, but if Villa had taken the lead at that stage of the encounter and tried to hold out for the final 20 minutes or so, we could be looking at an entirely different outcome.
To blow his whistle too early and prevent VAR from being able to intervene was a huge mistake, and that will now cost us millions and potentially force us into some difficult decisions this summer that we might not have faced had we secured a top-five finish.
Europa League an important consolation
While there is still an overwhelming sense of disappointment and frustration with how the day unfolded, it’s important not to forget that we are back in Europe for a third consecutive season next year and will compete in the Europa League.
It doesn’t offer the same financial rewards as the Champions League, but it’s still European football nonetheless, and it’s an opportunity for Emery to continue this excellent record in the competition and deliver a trophy.
Further, winning it gives us another potential avenue to get back to Europe’s top table, and so when the dust settles on a bitterly disappointing outcome, we’ll need to refocus and get to work on achieving a big objective next year.
Big game away from Villa Park question mark still lingers
For all the positives that we’ve seen under Emery’s stewardship, Villa have to learn from our setbacks this season and improve.
We’ve failed to show up in some big games on the road, and the outcome has mostly been the same, a costly defeat.
Whether it’s conceding late against Nottingham Forest and losing, suffering defeat at Manchester City away, Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals or against a Man Utd side who have been historically bad given where the club has been for the past few decades, Villa have to change the approach and mentality away from home in crunch games, as that was ultimately the difference between possibly achieving all of our objectives this season and falling short across the board.
