The final day of the 2024/25 Premier League season was not about the title race, or the relegation battle.
With the positions at the top and bottom of the EPL standings already determined, the spotlight was squarely on the race for the UEFA Champions League positions.
Five teams were battling for three spots, with one Europa League place and one Conference League position left to the two clubs who fell short.
Thus, a contentious referee decision at Old Trafford potentially cost Aston Villa a place in Europe’s top competition, and with it millions of euros in prize money.
The Sporting News explains why Morgan Rogers had a goal critically disallowed, and how it leaves Aston Villa on the outside looking in.
Watch Aston Villa disallowed goal in USA:
In a pivotal refereeing decision during Man United v. Aston Villa, the officials ruled the whistle had already blown and Morgan Rogers’ effort was ruled out. A goal would have given Villa a 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/nan7EBub7K
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 25, 2025
UK:
HUGE controversy at Old Trafford 🤯
The whistle blows for a foul as Rogers challenges Bayindir, but did the whistle go too early, as Bayindir didn’t look to have gathered the ball…👀
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/AdsMqBusls
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 25, 2025
Why was Morgan Rogers goal disallowed vs. Man United?
In the 73rd minute of Aston Villa’s trip to Old Trafford on the final day of the season, with the game still scoreless and the visitors a man down, Rogers put the ball in the back of the net to put his side 1-0 up against all odds.
The Villa man had taken the ball off Man United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, who appeared to lose control of it when under no pressure inside his own box.
While many on social media, and the broadcast crew, were baffled by the decision, according to the 2024/25 edition of the Laws of the Game, it was the CORRECT CALL by referee Thomas Bramall. The laws state:
A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball with the hand(s) when:
the ball is between the hands or between the hand and any surface
(e.g. ground, own body) or by touching it with any part of the hands
or arms, except if the ball rebounds from the goalkeeper or the goalkeeper
has made a save.
The key part is where it reads “touching it with any part of the hands or arms.” Bayindir had not made a save, as he was simply collecting a loose ball. Therefore, he does not need to have control in the traditional sense, he only needs to touch the ball.
The purpose of this rule is to protect goalkeepers, who are in a very vulnerable position while collecting loose balls on the ground. Many goalkeepers (including the individual writing this article!) have broken fingers or been otherwise injured by an over-aggressive forward kicking their hand while picking up the ball.
Why did VAR not overturn Morgan Rogers disallowed goal?
VAR could not intervene in the incident because the whistle had blown immediately to stop play.
Bramall had already brought play to a halt as soon as Rogers had nicked the ball out of Bayindir’s hands and, crucially, before he struck the shot that put it into the net.
Bramall seemingly believed that Bayindir had the ball in his grasp, and therefore Rogers kicking it out of his hands would have been a foul. However, replays showed that the goalkeeper did not have control of the ball, thus the decision was a mistake.
Because the foul was given before the goal was scored, rather than after, the video assistant referee could not get involved in overturning the decision. Had the referee waited until the goal was scored and then disallowed it, VAR could have overturned the call.
This is why assistant referees are told to delay their offside decisions to let play continue, even if they want the play stopped. If the decision is incorrect, and a goal is scored, the call can be overturned. However, in this case, because Bramall blew his whistle immediately, VAR could not overturn a simple foul.
Decision may have cost Aston Villa a Champions League place
This referee decision had enormous implications in the final Premier League standings.
With Newcastle losing to Everton, the level scoreline had Aston Villa above the Magpies in the standings for the final Champions League place.
United had battered Aston Villa to the point, especially after Emiliano Martinez was sent off just before halftime for bulldozing Rasmus Hojland who was through on goal.
A man-down goal against the run of play would have put Villa in front and within touching distance of a top-five spot, but the referee’s whistle had already blown and VAR could not get involved.
A goal would have been enormous in the race, as it would have put Villa three points clear of Newcastle. Instead, they remained just a single point above, and would fall behind moments later as Amad Diallo scored the opener for Man United. That dropped Villa to level on points with Newcastle, and below the Magpies on goal difference.
Ultimately, Villa lost 2-0 thanks to Cristian Eriksen’s 87th-minute penalty, and even though Newcastle also fell to Everton, they finished above Emery’s team thanks to that superior goal tally.
While the decision did not ultimately matter on the scoreline as United would win by two, Villa will certainly feel that the moment changed the narrative of the match and therefore had a major impact.
