Dermot Gallagher has expertly broken down whether or not referee John Brooks made the right call to not send off ex-Manchester United man Ashley Young in Everton’s 3-0 defeat.
Alejandro Garnacho opened the scoring at Goodison Park on Sunday with a magnificent overhead kick, with United holding a 1-0 lead going into half-time.
Following the break, Anthony Martial pounced on an opportunity in the final third and was brought down by Young after he clipped the Everton player’s leg.
The 27-year-old United striker was initially booked for diving by Brooks, only for VAR to intervene and rule that Martial had not dived in the Everton box.
Brooks overturned his decision against Martial after a closer look at the screen and United were awarded a penalty, which Marcus Rashford subsequently converted.
Everton manager Sean Dyche was not happy with the decision and was shaking his head, with Young visibly furious with Brooks’ revised call over the challenge.
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Gallagher on Young, VAR call and Brooks
The Toffees were unable to rally back after Rashford’s penalty, with Martial producing an exquisite dink finish late in the second half to seal a 3-0 win for United.
Gallagher, who previously worked as a Premier League referee, has revealed that his initial reaction was that United should have been awarded a penalty in the match.
He added that it would be “quite a spectrum to travel” if Brooks had overturned the decision against Martial and then sent off Young for a second bookable offence.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, Gallagher explained: “I think so [it was clear and obvious]. I thought it was a penalty when I first saw it.
“It is difficult to say it is not a foul, he dangles his leg and does not get the ball, his leg is planted as well.
“When you see that, I just do not think there is anything else you can give but a penalty.
“I think Martial is quite happy to go after the ball, but the leg is planted. If you dangle at leg like that, you run the risk.
“The referee obviously thought it was careless. It possibly is a second yellow card, but I would not say it is guaranteed and the one thing I would say is to go from a dive for one player to a red card to another is quite a spectrum to travel.
“I just wonder, has the referee made that much of an error?”
Dyche furious with VAR after Everton defeat
Everton languish in 19th place in the Premier League table, with the Toffees level on points with 20th-place Burnley and five points adrift from 17th-place Luton Town.
Dyche faces an uphill task in rescuing Everton from Premier League relegation after the club were hit with a 10-point deduction for breaching the league’s financial rules.
Following the defeat to United — Everton’s first match since their 10-point deduction — Dyche said that VAR has proved “mayhem all the time” when it should be ‘simple.’
“It’s bizarre, we all know what’s going to happen,” he told Sky Sports.
“The screen thing is a farce. Everyone is talking about speeding up the game, but when they come to the screen, we all know what the outcome is going to be. Good or bad decisions, call it and get on with it.
“Why do they stand there staring? I haven’t seen a referee overturn one yet. He stands there listening, then gives exactly what he has been told.
“I feel for [the] fans. VAR this year has been all over the place. It’s the simplest thing but it seems to be mayhem all the time.”
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