Dermot Gallagher insists VAR was right to chalk off Richarlison’s goals v Arsenal
Everton had two goals chalked off against Arsenal on Monday night, but they still managed to secure a 2-1 win in front of the Goodison Park crowd.
Toffees striker Richarlison was unlucky yesterday (6 December) before finally grabbing the equaliser, and former FIFA referee Dermot Gallagher has weighed in with his expert opinion on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, insisting VAR was correct.
Everton left it late to grab their first Premier League win in nine games, with Demarai Gray emerging the hero, but things could have gone worse after his Brazilian counterpart found himself in an offside position twice.
Gallagher said: “The second disallowed goal is even tighter. Without hiding or sitting on the fence, it’s a factual decision.
“The VAR has drawn those lines and he’s come to the conclusion that the lines show Richarlison is just ahead.
“What I would say is it is a really tough call. It’s made tougher by the fact Richarlison’s foot is actually in the air.
“I say it’s really tough because I’ve said many times if the feet are on the ground you have a start point. If the feet are in the air you’ve then got to draw it through.
“But he did draw it through and he took his time. Let’s be fair, he took his time, he measured it all up, and in his view, that was factually offside. So, again, you have to go with the system.”
Fair enough
The rules are there for a reason, no matter how controversial they are, but Richarlison deserved to go home with the match ball as he put in a lot of effort for both of his disallowed goals.
He was marginally offside on both occasions, but some things need to change if it would take a lot of lines and minutes before VAR decide what is offside or not.
Everton would have felt hard done by had they failed to get something from the game, and the players and fans deserve the plaudits for not giving up despite being frustrated with the earlier calls.
They needed luck to be on their side against Arsenal, and their resilience paid off in the end.
The Toffees will now hope most refereeing decisions can go their way going forward, as they will need it a lot this season.
Last night’s victory brought with it a lot of relief, and they now have to maintain the momentum ahead of the coming games.
Injuries have prevented Everton from challenging for Europe so far this term, but things could start to get better once England international striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin returns to action.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are plotting January loan-to-buy bid for centre-mid hailed by Jack Grealish last month.
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