Dermot Gallagher says officials made right call with Everton penalty claim
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believes that VAR made the right decision not to intervene in Anthony Gordon’s second penalty claim for Everton.
The Liverpool-born winger was seemingly fouled in the box by Joel Matip with the 21-year-old’s cries for a penalty waved away by Stuart Attwell.
Despite much debate around the controversial incident, Gallagher is adamant that it wasn’t a clear and obvious error from the referee which left no reason for VAR to intervene.
He said as per Football Daily: “I think it is an on-field decision, I think the referee has to make this decision.
“There is an arm on the shoulder there is no doubt about that, he goes down, I think they get tangled up.
“The referee is really clever because he doesn’t make an instant decision. If you look at the referee, what he does, he almost runs it through in his head.
“He knows it is a big decision, he runs it through, gives himself time and makes his decision.
“I think on that basis it has to be his call, there is no good going to VAR because it isn’t a clear and obvious error because he has thought it through so much.”
Nonsense.
Gallagher has lost his mind with his awful assessment of Everton’s penalty shout. It doesn’t matter how much time a referee makes to make his decision, he can still be wrong and he was which is exactly why VAR should have intervened.
Truthfully, Gordon was his own worst enemy against Liverpool. There is no doubt he would have got the genuine second penalty if he hadn’t embarrassingly thrown himself to the floor in the first half which saw the forward get booked.
Frank Lampard suffers even more disgraceful decisions that could be the decider in whether the Toffees stay up or go down this season.
However, it is all still to play for and the most encouraging thing is that the Blues’ fate lies in their own hands.
They might now find themselves in the bottom three but they have a game in hand on Burnley. If they show the immense fighting spirit that they did at Anfield yesterday, they will be fine.
In other Everton news, Jamie Carragher has lambasted “awful” Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri.
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