Everton v Manchester United: Ian Wright and Michael Owen rage at controversy
Everton and Manchester United played out a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure scored in the first half to give the Toffees a two-goal lead at the break.
However, United made a late comeback in the game with Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte scoring wonder goals to ensure that the hosts could just get a point from the game.
| Stat | Everton under Moyes this season (all comps) |
| Wins | 4 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Losses | 2 |
Everton robbed of the win against Manchester United?
Harry Maguire seemed to have brought down Ashley Young in the penalty area and Andy Madley pointed to the spot.
However, VAR got in touch with him and told him that he had got that one wrong and had him re-check the incident.
On looking at it again, Madley decided to overrule the penalty as he did not deem there to be enough for Young to throw himself to the ground like that.
This infuriated both Ian Wright and Michael Owen in the Premier League Productions‘ studio.
In their view, VAR let down the on-field referee by showing him a very selective angle and that stopped him from getting the entire view of the incident.
Owen said on 22 February at 2:38pm: “What I’m really disappointed about is that the referee has not been given the right angle.”
Wright then replied: “When we see this, it looks like there’s nowhere enough for Ashley to react like this. I cannot believe that the other angle is not shown to the ref. This is a penalty.”
VAR poke their nose where they shouldn’t
David Moyes has every reason to be livid after the controversial VAR decision in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
The technology, intended to correct glaring errors, overstepped its mark by intervening in a call that was far from clear-cut.
Madley’s initial instinct was to award a penalty when Young went down under contact in the box – a decision that seemed reasonable in real-time.
However, VAR’s involvement muddied the waters, prompting a review that overturned the call without providing conclusive evidence to justify the reversal.
This isn’t about diving or exaggeration but about the system undermining the on-field official’s authority when the incident didn’t scream clear and obvious.
The inconsistency of VAR’s application frustrates managers, players, and fans alike and here it snatched away a potential match-winning moment from Everton, who had fought hard to take the lead initially.