It was always going to be a difficult task. Aston Villa has correctly made a public claim of wanting to tear down the established big six. Being an agitator, it should not come as a surprise that the very system Villa is looking to upend would not go down without pushback.
This is on display during the AVFC fixture at Old Trafford. Anyone reasonable would agree that the bias toward the brands of Manchester United or Liverpool would have allowed play to continue without the premature blowing of the whistle at that moment.
Instead, the official stopping play just as Morgan Rogers was kicking the ball into an empty net drastically changed the outcome of how the last Premier League fixture played out and consequently their chance to fairly fight for a Champions League spot.
While the club has made an effort through their formal complaint, there are two notable takeaways for Villa from Sunday's result.
For one, every match from the end of August to May matters. The seemingly pushover matches or easier fixtures cannot be taken for granted. Any time there are three points at stake, there is a needed opportunity for the club to seize.
While the Old Trafford events directly and most immediately cost Villa three points, Unai Emery's side would have been in a comfortable position had they flipped earlier, winnable defeats into victories.
Then, it also needs to be remembered that Villa have to put results out of question against teams like United and Chelsea. Especially on the bigger stages in pivotal moments, the benefit of calls and judgment decisions simply will not go in Villa's favor in the big matches.
For AVFC to actually take a foothold among the league's best, it has to be absolute and complete, such that a single error cannot further cost Villa their place throughout the efforts of a lengthy campaign.
Room for hope at Aston Villa despite what happened
Some supporters will understandably be frustrated and feeling dejected. The place where Emery's men ended would, by and large, be accepted by most at the beginning of the season. It was seeing how close Villa were to still qualifying for Champions League that has some worried.
Because of how the season has unfolded and the clear improvement that has taken place in the play on the pitch since Emery has taken over, there is room for optimism for those refusing to be disenfranchised by the events that took place on the final Matchday.