Aston Villa director of football operations Damian Vidagany has dismissed an assessment from Roy Keane, outlining why he believes Manchester United's stoppage-time equaliser on Sunday ought not to have stood.
Villa appeared destined to claim all three points from the encounter, but two late United strikes meant they were forced to settle for a 4-4 draw. Villa found themselves 2-0 ahead within just three minutes at Old Trafford, courtesy of goals from Alysson and Nicolas Jackson. However, United drew level by the interval, with Bruno Fernandes converting from the penalty spot and Youri Tielemans returning to haunt his previous employers.
Late Drama at Old Trafford
The second period began superbly once more for Villa, with John McGinn scoring a penalty and Leon Goretzka forcing the ball home from a set-piece. Joshua Zirkzee grabbed what appeared to be a consolation for United in the second minute of stoppage time.
Yet proceedings weren't concluded, as Patrick Dorgu struck from a late, late corner to shatter Villa hearts. This came amid protests from Villa players, who felt a foul ought to have been awarded on Zion Suzuki by Senne Lammens.
Keane's Verdict and Vidagany's Response
Keane told Sky Sports: "I don't think Suzuki gives himself the best chance of getting it, he's underneath it, just take a step back and attack it. There are bodies in the way, but there's lots going on, football is a contact sport. I have no problem with it."
Former Villa and United player Ashley Young remarked: "I don't think there's enough in that, there's definitely not enough in that for me."
Keane continued: "I've said it before, a goalkeeper in this situation should take command of it. If he's talking about getting blocked and pushed, why doesn't he do that to the opposition players? He's got to come and be aggressive, take command of it, when the ball comes in he's on his heels and he's got to be more aggressive and take command of that six-yard box."
Vidagany's Social Media Response
Sky Sports shared the observations in a video on their social media platform, with Vidagany quoting the footage and offering his own perspective.
"To put in context this convenient narrative of 'contact sport' we've been told by referees during the summer that this season to go to unbalance or push the GK on purpose on the six-yard box was not going to be allowed anymore," Vidagany posted on X.
"Lammens not even look at the ball, went straight to do a contact with the hip over Zion. Having said that we played good Match and we must do better than last 6 minutes. We will do and we will improve. But the rules are the rules and must be respected. That is a fact."
Emery's Post-Match Reaction
Addressing the late goal during his post-match media briefing, Unai Emery stated his side must adjust to the circumstances: "Angry? To accept the two late goals is difficult. It is a process and a good example. How we conceded this last goal, it is adaptation for Suzuki. They are pushing and disturbing him."
"Other countries, they do not permit it. Here, yes. We have to continue analysing and having experiences and trying to avoid situations like we conceded. Am I angry? We must accept that this is the process of adaptation. With the fans pushing, they [United] played with their heart. You can control it."
"We stopped them in the second half, but in the last minutes they continued pushing and had individual actions. We couldn't defend Dorgu well. The last corner, normally, if we were focusing on how the keeper needs protecting, we would defend it. Zion will improve adapting to the Premier League. Zion is fantastic how he is performing, but there is still work to do."
