Published: 22:30, 16 January 2026 | Updated: 22:30, 16 January 2026

Unai Emery has accused Aston Villa’s rivals of playing dirty to stop star attacker Morgan Rogers.

Rogers has been fouled 27 times in the league this year, which places him 20th in the Premier League overall.

But the England forward’s emergence in the last two years has made him a marked men with teams constantly pushing the boundaries to stop him.

Emery made it clear he was not demanding more protection for Rogers but said: ‘Morgan is a very important player for us and sometimes they are trying to kick him and stop him, sometimes being close to a yellow card or red card.

‘Two weeks ago, for example, at Arsenal, the foul we saw by Mikel Merino on Morgan was a clear second yellow card (Merino escaped the second booking).

‘I am not complaining. I am reviewing everything which happened in the matches we played. We need to adapt quickly to how football is changing.

Rogers has been fouled 27 times in the league this year, which...