Another weekend of Premier League football and another case of VAR drama took place on Saturday, this time between Everton and league leaders Manchester City.
What could’ve (and maybe should’ve) easily been at least a 1-1 draw, Everton unluckily became the next victim of controversial refereeing and a questionable VAR decision in England’s top flight.
Right after Manchester City’s Phil Foden finally scored the first goal of the game in the 81st minute, his teammate Rodri came up attempting to control the ball, but apparently did so with the use of his right arm. After video review, no penalty was awarded to Everton, leaving Rodri free to walk away, which left Goodison Park erupting with fury.
As soon as the final whistle was blown, Everton assistant Ashely Cole was booked for angrily confronting the ref Paul Tierney, and Frank Lampard himself had a few choice words post-match.
Frank Lampard was not happy with the officials in Everton's loss to Man City. 😳 pic.twitter.com/R7LqX62X0r
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 26, 2022
The Good News For Everton
There is no denying that Saturday’s VAR decision was a cruel outcome for the Toffees. If the penalty had been given, Everton would have been rewarded with a huge opportunity to at least level the game, a game where they played quite reasonably well.
City still looked slightly rattled from their shocking loss last weekend to Tottenham Hotspur, and Lampard’s men wasted no time controlling the tempo at Goodison Park, playing with more intensity and mental focus than their opponents.
Despite recent struggles, Jordan Pickford had an outstanding display of saves against the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva. Donny van de Beek was an imposing force in the midfield by giving Raheem Sterling a hard time before he had to be unfortunately replaced in the second half, due to an unknown injury.
In short, Everton deserved much more than what the final result, or VAR, gave them. But the good news from this is that Everton can continue forward with their heads held high.
If team performances such as this can become the new staple for them under the still recently-appointed Frank Lampard, then the deserved results will come. And the threat of relegation will hopefully become a worry of the past.