diff --git a/plugins/selection/EntityReference_SelectionHandler_Views.class.php b/plugins/selection/EntityReference_SelectionHandler_Views.class.php
index 1b036a7..4d44cf8 100644
--- a/plugins/selection/EntityReference_SelectionHandler_Views.class.php
+++ b/plugins/selection/EntityReference_SelectionHandler_Views.class.php
@@ -147,9 +147,12 @@
    * Implements EntityReferenceHandler::validateAutocompleteInput().
    */
   public function validateAutocompleteInput($input, &$element, &$form_state, $form) {
-    return NULL;
+    $entities = $this->getReferencableEntities($input, '=', 0);
+    if (empty($entities)) {
+      // Error if there are no entities available for a required field.
+      form_error($element, t('There are no entities matching "%value"', array('%value' => $input)));
+    }
   }
-
   /**
    * Implements EntityReferenceHandler::getLabel().
    */
diff --git a/views/entityreference_plugin_display.inc b/views/entityreference_plugin_display.inc
index f13e88a..2cb6f1d 100644
--- a/views/entityreference_plugin_display.inc
+++ b/views/entityreference_plugin_display.inc
@@ -64,11 +64,13 @@
     // Restrict the autocomplete options based on what's been typed already.
     if (isset($options['match'])) {
       $style_options = $this->get_option('style_options');
-      $value = db_like($options['match']) . '%';
-      if ($options['match_operator'] != 'STARTS_WITH') {
-        $value = '%' . $value;
+      $value = db_like($options['match']);
+      if ($options['match_operator'] !='=') {
+        $value = $value . '%';
+        if ($options['match_operator'] != 'STARTS_WITH') {
+          $value = '%' . $value;
+        }
       }
-
       // Multiple search fields are OR'd together
       $conditions = db_or();