Unai Emery waved goodbye to 2024 with an extraordinary blast at Premier League officials but the Aston Villa boss should save his anger for his wasteful team. Villa should have been out of sight long before Tariq Lamptey equalised for Brighton nine minutes from time and this time Emery could blame nobody but the men in claret and blue in front of him.
![[Villa now lie ninth and missed the chance to move closer to the top four spots with a win]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/30/21/93598671-14237429-image-m-80_1735595394495.jpg)
After Simon Adingra had given the visitors the lead, goals either side of half-time from Ollie Watkins – a penalty – and Morgan Rogers should have set Villa up for three points. But they could not find the killer blow and Lamptey punished them. Furious that Villa’s appeal against the red card shown to Jhon Duran at Newcastle on Boxing Day was dismissed, Emery had used his programme notes to launch an attack on referees’ chiefs – specifically, their use of VAR.
![[The Seagulls led early but almost left empty-handed if it were not for Lamptey's equaliser]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/30/21/93598667-14237429-image-m-81_1735595479114.jpg)
Emery believes VAR is being using too much to back the on-field officials rather than reach the correct decisions – though he might have changed his tune by half-time here. Referee Craig Pawson was advised by the team at Stockley Park to award Villa a penalty when Joao Pedro clattered Rogers as he tried to clear his lines.
Watkins, recalled for the suspended Duran, scored from the spot on his 29th and Rogers hit the second soon after the break. Fabian Hurzeler’s men managed somehow to hang in there and earned their reward in the end. Brighton battled to earn a tough point away at Aston Villa after facing 19 shots on goal.
