Emery: McAtee's tackle on Maatsen deserved a red card

Unai Emery said James McAtee's late tackle on Ian Maatsen should have been a red card, after

McAtee caught Maatsen with a Challenge from behind late in the game and was shown only a yellow card by referee Andy Madley. Maatsen could not continue, and by that point Villa had already used all of their substitutions. Forest went on to score a late winner through Igor Jesus after Liam Delap's long-range effort and an Alysson goal for the hosts had cancelled each other out.

Aston Villa have taken one point from four Premier League matches and sit 19th in the table.

McAtee, a 23-year-old midfielder, was withdrawn shortly after the incident, with Forest boss Oliver Glasner wary of him picking up a second yellow. On Match of the Day, former Wales defender Ashley Williams backed the referee's call, calling it "a bad Challenge and a silly challenge from McAtee" but adding: "I think a yellow is fair... We have seen red cards for tackles like that, although in my opinion it's probably a yellow."

McAtee joined Forest in September 2025 and has scored once for the club; he has started all four of the side's league games this season, with interest from West Ham last summer coming to nothing.

If VAR intervention on tackles like this one comes under fresh scrutiny, Villa's bigger problem remains results: one point from four games leaves Emery's side needing wins, not just refereeing debates, to climb the table.