Henry Winter left baffled after Everton controversy v Manchester United
Henry Winter has been left in shock by the controversy surrounding Ashley Young in Everton’s Premier League draw with Manchester United.
The Toffees had the Red Devils on the ropes after first-half goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure had Everton in command.
Two goals in the space of eight minutes from Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte pegged Everton back before late drama ensued at Goodison when Andy Madley pointed to the spot when Young was felled by a combination of Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt.
However, Madley was advised to go to the pitch-side monitor by VAR and decided to overturn his original decision despite the fact there did appear to be contact.
Winter left confused by VAR after Everton controversy
Not only was VAR under some scrutiny due to the time it took them to award Everton’s first goal of the clash, but the decision to overturn the spot-kick in the closing stages sparked plenty of debate.
While there may have been some exaggeration from Young after going down, it’s undeniable that the initial challenge on the Englishman was a penalty.
Winter, while speaking live on talkSPORT (23 February), shared his frustration about the decision that was made.
“It was bizarre, the VAR Matt Donohue sent Andy Madley the referee to have another look when he signalled a penalty,” he said.
“It looked a fairly straight-forward penalty, the referee was in a good position and you could see the tug by De Ligt on Ashley Young’s shirt, Harry Maguire got involved as well.
“Okay, there are theatrics from Ashley Young just trying to make the point that his shirt had been pulled but whether you think that bits a dive, the fact is that he was fouled and it should have been a penalty.”
| Team | Position | Points |
| Everton | 14th | 31 |
| Manchester United | 15th | 30 |
| West Ham | 16th | 30 |
| Wolves | 17th | 22 |
VAR is ruining the beautiful game
Ever since VAR was added to the game all those years ago, it feels like it’s caused more problems than it’s solved.
While there have been some decisions that have been turned around correctly, there are others such as this one on Young which has left a sour taste in the mouths of most fans.
VAR is only supposed to be used during moments that consist of clear and obvious errors, and, from a fans point of view, there doesn’t seem to have been enough questions about the situation at Everton to have warranted a review.
The overuse of VAR is prominent in almost every Premier League game and unless the process is streamlined and made to be smoother, it feels like it’s going to hinder, rather than help, for years to come.