Everton recorded the most basic of victories yesterday afternoon, defeating Ipswich Town for their first Premier League away win in 15 attempts. It had been a long time coming, and there had been numerous occasions when they had threatened to accomplish the task before failing. On this occasion, however, their opponents simply lacked the resources to worry them or their leader. However, if one refereeing judgment had gone against them, the outcome may have been quite different. Shay Given and Alan Shearer analyze Ipswich’s penalty against Everton With the score at 1-0, Jack Clarke breezed into Everton’s penalty area, looking to get his shot off.
However, as the ball slipped out of his grasp, he could only stretch helplessly out, allowing Dwight McNeil to get in between them. The referee saw it as a foul and awarded a penalty, but VAR quickly corrected his error. On BBC’s Match of the Day, Shay Given said, ‘It’s terrific work from Graham Scott in the VAR. Jack Clarke’s move is tough; he enters the box and his legs become entangled. You can see Michael [Oliver] pointing to the spot, which he provided on the pitch.
‘When we slow it down, he kicks the back of Dwight McNeil’s leg, and I believe Michael Oliver made the proper option by going over to the machine.’ Alan Shearer then drew a parallel between that judgment and the contentious flashpoint in Everton’s encounter against Newcastle United: ‘Everton had a similar one a couple of weeks ago at Newcastle, wasn’t it? Dan burns.
VAR reveals Everton’s consistency Although their previous meeting against Newcastle United was marred by controversy, with Calvert-Lewin rejected a similar penalty for striking the back of Dan Burn’s leg, it’s ironic that the same has happened here for the opponents. However, it has sometimes felt as if Everton were being treated differently in the Premier League, with one crime resulting in a specific level of punishment but not for them.
Whether it’s punishing them with a penalty or refusing to give one despite seeing the exact same conduct earn a foul earlier in the season, the Toffees rarely get lucky in this situation. Despite all of the complaints and objections during their most recent Premier League encounter against Newcastle United, it’s great to see VAR retain some consistency by keeping their position. After all, they have indicated once more that Clarke, like Calvert-Lewin, booted the back of an opposing player.
Whether they agreed to it a few weeks ago or not, they have not been punished for what they were denied. At the very least, VAR’s increasing consistency deserves recognition. Fortunately, it would not have mattered, with Everton fans screaming Michael Keane’s name at full-time when he quickly scored the second goal.
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