Penalty Controversy: Premier League Explains Decision to Deny Everton Spot-Kick

Details

In a highly contentious match between Everton and Arsenal, the Premier League has provided an explanation for the decision not to award a penalty to the home side. The incident occurred in the second half, with William Saliba appearing to foul Thierno Barry inside the box, but the referee, Samuel Barrott, and VAR, Michael Salisbury, deemed the contact insufficient for a penalty.
The controversy arose after 58 minutes of the match, which Arsenal won 1-0. Saliba and Barry were competing for a bouncing ball on the edge of the box when Saliba appeared to kick Barry’s foot. The Everton striker went down clutching his foot and appealed for a penalty, with Jack Grealish also protesting to the referee. However, the home side was not awarded a spot-kick.
The Premier League Match Centre confirmed that the referee’s call of no penalty was checked and confirmed by VAR, with the contact from Saliba on Barry deemed not sufficient for a penalty. This decision was met with frustration from the Everton camp, with manager David Moyes remonstrating with the fourth official on the touchline.
The incident was also discussed by ex-Arsenal player Alan Smith, who commented on co-commentary for Sky Sports, stating that Saliba was “a little fortunate” and that the contact was not an obvious enough error from the referee to turn it over.

Background

The match was already marred by controversy, with Arsenal leading 1-0 at the time of the incident. Viktor Gyokeres had scored from the penalty spot in the 27th minute after Jake O’Brien was penalized for handball inside the area. The VAR review had overturned the original decision of no penalty to Arsenal, and Gyokeres’ successful finish past Jordan Pickford proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Reaction

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was coy when asked about the decision in his post-match press conference, stating that the VAR had checked it and decided it wasn’t a penalty. David Moyes, on the other hand, was furious with the decision, which he felt was a clear foul.

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