Aston Villa manager Unai Emery voiced his frustration after a controversial 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the Europa League at the City Ground. The defeat came courtesy of a penalty scored by Chris Wood in the 71st minute, which was awarded following a VAR review that confirmed a handball by Lucas Digne. However, Emery was particularly incensed by the VAR's failure to penalize a dangerous tackle on striker Ollie Watkins by Elliot Anderson, which he claimed could have resulted in a broken ankle. He described the oversight as a 'huge mistake' and insisted that VAR must provide an explanation for its inaction. Emery acknowledged that he only realized the severity of the tackle after reviewing the footage post-match. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest's manager, Vítor Pereira, praised his team's performance and expressed confidence ahead of the second leg at Villa Park, asserting that they would approach the match with an attacking mindset.