Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest ref watch: Three decisions Glenn Nyberg got wrong
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Credit: Imago / Dalecarlia Cup YouTube Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest ref watch: Three decisions Glenn Nyberg got wrong Thu 7 May 2026 22:10, UK Aston Villa secured their spot in the Europa League final against Nottingham Forest, and Glenn Nyberg was the man in the middle.Vitor Pereira’s side came into the game with a slender one-goal lead on Thursday, 7 May, only for Ollie Watkins to wipe out the advantage in the 36th minute.The goal instantly livened up Villa Park, with Emi Buendia taking an aggregate lead from the penalty spot just 13 minutes into the second half after Pau Torres was dragged to the floor inside the area.John McGinn netted a brace as Villa put four past Forest to secure their spot in the Europa League final, and matters could have been even worse for the visitors had the referee acted appropriately. ⚽ Aston Villa Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Aston Villa fixture. VISIT THE VILLA MATCH HUBGlenn Nyberg easily wound up by the Aston Villa benchReferees need to use common sense, especially in these types of circumstances, but Nyberg’s emotions got the better of him as he stopped the game to issue a yellow card to someone on the Villa bench.
Replays showed the young Brazilian catching Emi Buendia much higher than first thought.Jair Cunha vs Aston VillaStats [FotMob]Minutes played88Accurate passes87% (33/38)Touches46Tackles1Recoveries2Ground duels won50% (1/2)Fouls committed1Had VAR intervened, the referee might have changed his decision to a red card, but luckily for the out-of-position 21-year-old, he was allowed to stay on the pitch.On another day, with a different referee, Forest might not have escaped. It was right on the border.VAR needed to award blatant Aston Villa penaltyEverybody inside Villa Park knew that Villa were going to be awarded a penalty in the 57th minute.
Everyone, apart from Nyberg, it would appear.Ally McCoist accused the referee of relying on VAR, and that’s exactly what it seemed to be, with VAR intervening quite quickly after Nikola Milenkovic dragged Pau Torres over in the penalty area.It was a stonewall penalty, and ultimately, baffling that the decision wasn’t given straight away. Yes, Forest nearly escaped. 🦁 ASTON VILLA INSIDER UPDATE 🦁 Get the inside track on the Villa Park dugout, transfer strategy, player wages, and technical leadership at Bodymoor Heath.