Premier League Explains Why VAR Overturned Everton's Penalty Against Man United

• A late controversial penalty decision has split opinions among fans following Man United's draw with Everton on Saturday
• Everton's Ashley Young appeared to have been pushed in the box by a United defender but VAR decided against awarding a penalty
• The draw means Ruben Amorim's United avoid a second successive defeat after losing to Tottenham last week

The Premier League’s official Match Centre account has issued a statement after VAR’s controversial decision to deny Everton a last-minute penalty against Manchester United.

In a dramatic clash at Goodison Park on Saturday morning, United fought back from an early Everton dominance to secure a 2-2 draw in the Premier League showdown.

Goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure gave Everton a 2-0 lead heading into halftime, but Manchester United fought back with Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte leveling the score.

Late drama unfolded when referee Andy Madley awarded Everton a penalty in the 93rd minute after United’s Matthijs de Ligt was seen pulling Ashley Young to the ground — only for the decision to be controversially overturned after a lengthy VAR review.

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Reason VAR overturned Everton's penalty vs Everton

Despite the visible shirt pull, VAR advised Madley to check the monitor and ruled that the contact wasn’t enough for a foul, sparking outrage among fans.

The Premier League’s official match centre later clarified on X:

“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, recommending an on-field review. The referee overturned the original decision and play restarted with a drop ball.”

Fans react to the controversial penalty call

Football enthusiasts took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their contrasting opinions:

@Nick_Weather argued:

"It was a dive. At that point in the game, there’s no way you call that a penalty."

@truevoid0 added:

"This one is soft. No penalty."

@Pendana254 weighed in:

"The problem is some are given, some are not, but this feels 70% penalty."

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On the other side of the debate, @Greg_Beswick saw no doubt in the call:

"Pen and a red card as no genuine attempt to play the ball, and it is a goalscoring opportunity. Total joke of a league."

YEN.com.gh spoke to MX24 Sports journalist Derrick Ayim, who firmly believed the decision should have stood.

"I've watched it back, and he clearly pulls his jersey. The on-field decision was spot on, and I’m surprised it even went to VAR. It didn’t seem like a call that needed to be overturned. Sometimes, it feels like those watching on the screen think they know better than the referee on the pitch."

Zidane tipped as potential replacement for Amorim

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ruben Amorim's challenges as Manchester United manager have sparked speculation about potential replacements, with Zinedine Zidane among the top contenders.

Since taking over from Erik ten Hag, Amorim has recorded nine wins, three draws, and nine losses, resulting in a 43% win rate.

Source: YEN.com.gh