Angry Vincent Kompany makes 'disproportionate' Aston Villa admission

Vincent Kompany was furious with the standard of refereeing during Aston Villa’s 3-2 win over his 10-man Burnley side on Saturday afternoon. The Belgian admitted his idea of the rules lies far from reality following a string of controversial refereeing decisions against the Clarets.

Villa’s 89th-minute winner, a penalty from Douglas Luiz, was a contentious one as Aaron Ramsey’s foul on Jhon Duran was only a slight trip. Burnley midfielder Sander Berge’s sending off also split opinion as his two yellow cards were ‘soft’. Meanwhile, a handball from Diego Carlos to make a Lyle Foster chance trickier was seen by many as the denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.

“My understanding of some situations in the game was tested today,” Kompany admitted during the post-match press conference. “Where do I start? The yellow card, the first one before Sander Berge’s second was soft. It was really soft. 

“A coming together and then the clock goes ticking - it takes two minutes, the lad [Moussa Diaby] clearly got on with the game - for a soft offence to be called back after we’ve conceded the goal. The second yellow was even softer. The penalty was also soft. 

“If you’re looking at the flow of the game, then how are other similar offences handled? There’s a disparity, it’s disproportionate. One of our lads got cleaned out on the transition and it wasn’t a yellow card. 

“Either it’s a game where we’re allowing challenges or it’s a game where we’re not. You know what I’d rather, given my history. It’s not even a rant, guys, but it’s the first time I’m having an open reflection,” Kompany said, before apologising to the media for his lengthy answer.

Unai Emery was asked about the officiating but wanted to talk about his team’s performance, rather than dwell on what’s out of his control. Many might say that’s only because the decisions were in his team’s favour, but he genuinely tends to stand by the officials — regardless of whether he agrees.

As much as Kompany may feel begrudged by Saturday’s result, it remains a Villa win and one that sees the men in claret and blue climb back up to second spot. Premier League action now takes a pause for two weeks, too, meaning Villa fans can encompass their side’s achievements.