Micah Richards and Karen Carney react to VAR decision in Everton v Man City
Everton lost 1-0 against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday (26 February) at Goodison Park.
It was a much-improved performance from the Toffees compared to how they fared in the 2-0 loss against Southampton. A late goal from Phil Foden ended their resilience, which was down to an individual error from Michael Keane.
Everton were denied a blatant penalty late on as Rodri handled the ball inside the box. After a VAR check, the decision was turned down as there wasn’t enough conclusive evidence.
Sky Sports pundits Micah Richards and Karen Carney have delivered their verdicts on the decision, with the former Manchester City defender branding the decision as as “ridiculous”.
Richard said on Sky Sports podcast (26 February): “This is ridiculous. VAR has got many decisions right, but they have got it wrong.”
Carney added: “For me, it was a penalty. That hits his arm. That’s a handball. I can’t believe that they didn’t say to the referee to have a look.”
Poor decision
It was a poor decision from VAR and they should have at least asked the on-field referee to have a look and make his own call.
There are signs of improvement under Frank Lampard, but the Toffees must get some wins under their belt. They are perilously close to the relegation zone, with just a place and a point above the bottom three.
They were very organised at the back but in the second half, they looked tired a bit, with City pushing hard for an opening. In the end, a sloppy defending from an experienced player like Keane killed the effort.
Everton have now lost three out of their last four games. The next few games are absolutely crucial for them, where either they will come up against teams that are fighting for survival or that are battling for the Champions League spot.
The away form needs to improve. At home, Everton have played with intensity, but their performance level drops down considerably away from Goodison Park.
In other Everton news, Super Computer makes Toffees’ relegation prediction after 1-0 defeat v Manchester City
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