Key Match Incidents Panel: Everton wrongly denied penalty in Arsenal defeat
Everton A penalty should have been awarded in the match where they lost 1-0 Arsenal on December 20, according to the Premier League’s Major Match Events Panel.
In the 57th minute of the match played at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Arsenal entered a clash between William Saliba and Everton’s forward Thierno Barry and took the lead 1-0 in the 57th minute.
Barry got to the ball first but his boot was kicked by Arsenal’s French defender.
The panel voted 3-2 that referee Sam Barrott’s decision not to award a penalty on the field was wrong.
It was also voted 3-2 that video assistant referee (VAR) Michael Salisbury should send the match official to the monitor to change his decision.
Three panel members said “Saliba carelessly kicks Barry without making any contact with the ball”, which they felt was a clear and obvious mistake.
Two panelists supported the call for impunity due to “lack of sufficient impact and delay in response”.
Everton manager David Moyes was confused as to why other similar incidents had resulted in penalty kicks.
He specifically referred to the penalty awarded to Fulham by the on-field referee against Nottingham Forest two days later. The panel unanimously supported this snapshot decision.
“I half choked when I saw the verdict last night [to Fulham] Moyes said: “It’s as if some clubs are making these decisions and other clubs are not.”
Each KMI Panel consists of five members. Three are former players or coaches, plus one representative each from the Premier League and Professional Match Officials.
