StanBalaban

It doesn't really matter if the ball had gone out by the time the ref blows his whistle, as the play stops based on the event triggering the whistle and not the time elapsed between the "penalty" and the whistle being blown. It would be better if we were able to contest the dropped ball, but I'm not sure if that's a thing any more.

It's because the ref blew for a pen, thus negating anything that happened after the whistle. Had he not blown and there been a VAR check for a pen, then it would've been a corner. Because play stopped on the whistle, the restart required a dropped ball.

Rooney approves.

Great option off the bench, and played a huge part in our third whilst we were under pressure. The impact role suits him well.

You think we may see Moreno further up the pitch with Digne playing as a more defensive LB?

Bit of an unsung hero. Having a great season so far, and vitally important that he didn't leave over the summer.

Should've scored his big chance today, which would have given him a lot more confidence. Don Unai knows what he's doing, and obviously thinks he's making a good contribution to the team.

They simply don't understand what they're watching. It takes them forever to interpret what everyone can clearly see, and how they don't ask the ref to go to the monitor I'll never understand. words removed.

Yes. Please do.

This man is simply amazing. I just hope he understands how much joy and pride he's brought to us Villa fans. What's even more remarkable is that he's a complete gentleman to boot. Never one to hog the limelight, nor seek to do that chest bump thing that the Scousers lap up from Klopp, no prickly answers in interviews - just polite, dignified and classy all the way. Whilst January is a notoriously difficult time to recruit, what player wouldn't want to play at Villa right now?

Fans are probably better off taking the last train to ZaanCentraal.

They have enough beef with us as it is.

Kinda reminds me of Dwight Gayle - too good for the Championship, not quite at PL level. Hope he does well though.

Strange. Came on, looked lively and should've had an assist.

Just be thankful these guys don't work in air traffic control.

Doing really well this season, and showing a lot of fight for the team. I'm guessing Unai took him off to help keep him fresh for the weekend.

Thought he looked good today, and filled in well on the left side of the defence in the second half.

I would say that the reaction, in the heat of the moment, with just a couple of minutes to evaluate a situation whilst a match is being played, should not be indicative of the overall competence of our medical team. Protecting the health of the players is literally protecting the investment from the owners. These are two very wealthy and very experienced sports team owners. They've had the opportunity to clear house when there's a managerial change, along with the fact that Unai is not only a perfectionist, but also relies on the competency of the medical staff to help him field the best team possible. This would indicate that they are happy with the medical team that we have. We are a wealthy premier league club. We can literally attract the best sports medical professionals in the world if we needed to. The fact that we haven't says a lot IMO.

A really great agent. Even got him a gig as Alf Stewart's wife on Home & Away

Whatever happens for the rest of this campaign, I really hope Unai realises just how much pride and joy he's delivered to us Villa fans. Just the most remarkable manager that we could've wished for in the modern game.

Clearly

A lot of the officials simply do not understand what they're looking at. They're waiting for the outcome of an event to determine what action (if any) they take. I can understand the onfield ref maybe being unsure about what he's seen and erring on the side of caution, but there no excuse for the VAR not to give him the opportunity to review it on the monitor.