Keith Hackett shares verdict on VAR controversy during Everton loss v Aston Villa as footage emerges
Keith Hackett felt Aston Villa should have been awarded a penalty in the first half of their win over Everton at Goodison Park after footage emerged online.
The Toffees suffered their first home defeat under Sean Dyche thanks to an Ollie Watkins penalty and late Emi Buendia strike, leaving the team back in the relegation zone at the end of the game.
But after being tagged in a video on Twitter, former FIFA referee Hackett revealed that Villa should have had another penalty in the first half when Jordan Pickford brought down Watkins when trying to make a save.
“That is a foul and PK,” he wrote on his personal Twitter account (25 February), sharing footage of the incident in the process.
A corner was given at the time and VAR are not believed to have checked for a penalty, although they did give a contentious decision later in the game.
No chance
There is no way in a million years that this incident should result in a penalty, and if Hackett believes it should have done then it’s a good thing he’s retired.
Pickford comes out and makes himself big to deny Watkins, and makes the save with his trailing leg. It’s only momentum that causes him to catch Watkins in the process, but that doesn’t make it a foul.
He has to try and make the save and with both players travelling in opposite directions there was always going to be a collision.
If that is a penalty in today’s game, then we may as well make football a non-contact sport because the contact on this occasion was completely minimal and accidental with a goalkeeper simply doing his job.
Thankfully the referee on the day saw sense on this occasion and didn’t give it, although there are still question marks about whether or not the one he did give should have been given against Everton.