Morgan Rogers saw a late winner disallowed for Aston Villa as Unai Emery’s side were held to a frustrating goalless draw with Juventus in the Champions League.
Emery, who is now enduring his longest stretch without a win as Villa boss since taking over from Steven Gerrard in 2022, could only watch on from the sidelines as his players floundered in the final third.
Lucas Digne came closest to opening the scoring after his free-kick grazed the crossbar just before the break. Ollie Watkins also threatened but saw his snapshot denied by Michele Di Gregorio in the Juventus goal.
Tension in Villa Park continued to rise as time went on – but so did disappointment. The hosts lacked an edge in the final third, which has been a persistent issue throughout this dip in form that now stretches to seven games.
Juventus posed little threat for most of the game but when they did, Francisco Conceicao was involved. The outstretched arm of Emiliano Martinez was the only thing that stopped the No 7 heading his side into the lead just after the hour mark.
Di Gregorio was called into action again to deny John McGinn from close range but ultimately the hosts did not do enough in the final third – and just about held on defensively.
Morgan Rogers thought he had snatched victory in the dying embers of the game but his celebrations were cut short – after a lengthy spell of confusion in the stadium – for a foul in the build-up. A decision which only compounded the misery for the home crowd.
Sunday 1st December 12:30pm
Kick off 1:30pm
Thoughts will now turn to how Emery and his coaching staff can address this worrying patch of form but the prospect of doing that away at Chelsea, live on Sky Sports, this weekend is a daunting one.
Watkins: Disallowing Rogers goal was soft
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins speaking to TNT Sports: “I thought it was soft.
“It had 0-0 written all over it, so it would have been lucky had we won it. Referees don’t let things go in this competition as much in the Premier League. I have to be careful with what I say, but it’s out of our control really.”
