Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon was marked by two significant VAR decisions that prompted the Premier League to issue official statements.
Everton took an early lead in the 19th minute when Beto’s shot looped over United goalkeeper Andre Onana after bouncing on the ground.
The goal was initially called offside, triggering a VAR review.
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The tense wait ended with confirmation that the goal stood, much to the frustration of the United side.
In the first half, Abdoulaye Doucoure extended Everton’s advantage just before the break, with a header that left Harry Maguire scrambling.
United’s struggles in the first half were evident as they trailed 2-0 at halftime.
The second half saw a shift in momentum.
Bruno Fernandes pulled one back with a brilliant free-kick in the 72nd minute, and just eight minutes later, Manuel Ugarte completed the comeback with a fantastic strike from outside the box, leveling the score at 2-2.
The drama wasn’t over, though.
In the dying moments of the match, referee Andy Madley awarded Everton a penalty after Ashley Young went down under pressure from Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt.
However, after a lengthy VAR review, Madley was called to the pitchside monitor, where the penalty decision was overturned, causing even more controversy.
The match ended 2-2, with much of the discussion surrounding the two pivotal VAR calls.
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After the match, the Premier League issued two official statements.
The first statement clarified the decision regarding Beto’s opening goal.
“The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – as there was no offside offence committed by either [Jesper] Lindstrom or Beto,” the Premier League’s statement wrote.
The second statement addressed the reversal of the late penalty decision, providing further explanation on how play resumed after the decision was overturned.
Premier League on social media explained, “VAR checked the referee’s call of penalty to Everton for a challenge by Maguire on Young and deemed that no foul had been committed and recommended an on-field review.
“The referee overturned the original decision and play restarted with a free-kick.”
Both statements focused on the pivotal VAR interventions that ultimately shaped the match’s outcome.
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