Unai Emery reveals why he lambasted referee Andy Madley after Crystal Palace 0-0 Aston Villa

Unai Emery had a fit of rage following Aston Villa’s recent bore 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, lambasting referee Andy Madley after the full-time whistle.

Emery rarely approaches referees in any manner following a match, as he typically follows a routine of shaking the opposition manager’s hand - or not in Mikel Arteta’s case - before heading straight down the tunnel. But in this case, Emery let loose in an aggressive rant towards Madley and his officials, right in front of the television cameras.

At the time, it was unclear exactly what the fuss was all about. Was it frustration that his side had failed to claim all three points? Was it the lack of added minutes? Or perhaps a refereeing decision that had really gotten under his skin?

Well, it turns out it was the latter, as Emery was disgusted by VAR’s failure to intervene for a potential spot-kick. Youri Tielemans appeared to be held by Brennan Johnson in the penalty area as Villa swung in a late set piece, however it was hardly given a second thought.

When asked why he was so angry, Emery told the media: “To speak about the referee is one minute or 30 seconds; it is more important to speak about the match. I respect the referees, but they must check the action on Youri Tielemans. It is a potential penalty.

“I don’t know who is in the VAR, but if they checked Brennan Johnson’s possible penalty, which was clear for me, then Tielemans’ possible penalty in the corner should have been checked. He was being held for one, two, three seconds. I think this is the action.”

This isn’t the first time Emery has criticised the referees, and it certainly won’t be his last. But, compared to other managers in the Premier League, the Spaniard is pretty patient with the officials. A decision has to be completely and utterly wrong in Emery’s eyes for him to even mention it, let alone charge towards the referees in the centre circle.