Ollie Watkins bemoaned the standard of refereeing in the Champions League after Aston Villa were denied a stoppage-time winner against Juventus.
When Michele Di Gregorio fumbled a high ball in the fourth minute of added time, under pressure from Diego Carlos, the loose ball fell to Morgan Rogers who turned into the empty net. But the home side’s celebrations were cut short when Carlos was ruled to have fouled Di Gregorio.
It looked a harsh call, though Carlos’ arm did make contact with the Juve goalkeeper as he leapt towards the ball.
‘I think it’s soft,’ said Watkins. ‘Maybe in the Premier League it’s a goal, but not in Europe. In the competition the goalkeepers are protected by the referees but I thought it was a goal. But it had 0-0 written all over it, so it would have been lucky had we won it.
‘I’ve got to be careful what I say about the referee but the refereeing is different. Referees don’t let things go in this competition as much in the Premier League, but it’s out of our control. Some of those things go for you and some go against you and we have to accept that.’
It was a dramatic conclusion to a desperately poor game. The point will do Villa’s chances of qualifying from the league phase no harm at all, though a young Juventus side were missing eight players and were surely there for the taking.
Ollie Watkins has bemoaned Champions League referring after Morgan Rodgers (pictured) saw a late strike ruled out against Juventus
Diego Carlos was adjudged to have fouled Michele Di Gregorio in the build-up to the goal
Watkins suggested that the goal would have stood in the Premier League but not Europe
The late intervention from referee Jesus Gil Manzano sealed a winless November for Villa, who have now gone seven matches without a victory. They travel to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
Boss Unai Emery said: ‘We dominated the match. With the last action, it is the interpretation of the referee. In England, 80 per cent of those is given a goal and it not a foul. It’s very soft. But in Europe, it could be a foul. We have to accept it.’
Villa might have lost the game were it not for a stunning save by Emi Martinez to deny Francisco Conceicao midway through the second half, when the Argentine clawed the ball away from his goalline.
Emery added: ‘With this, there is no room for interpretation. The line is there and it’s clearly not a goal. It is a fantastic save.
‘They (football authorities) have to work so that when a situation like this happened, the referee’s decision is the same. At the moment, it’s different in Europe from how it is in England.
‘In Europe we don’t do off-the-ball blocks as we do in England. We don’t stand in front of the goalkeeper at corners. When the disallowed goal happened, I thought a foul would be given. In Europe I have to accept it.’