Andy Madley overturns his decision to award a penalty to Everton in stoppage time against Manchester United(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images). The Premier League were forced to make two VAR statements on Saturday afternoon following Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.. Ruben Amorim’s side were dreadful in the first half and were deservedly 1-0 down on 19 minutes when Beto fired into the ground and looped the ball over the helpless Andre Onana. Play did not automatically restart, though, as VAR chose to review whether there was an offside in the build-up.. Eventually, the goal was awarded and the Premier League explained the decision on social media. “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 Match Centre wrote.. Everton would make it 2-0 with less than ten minutes of the first half remaining when Abdoulaye Doucoure nodded home from close range after beating Harry Maguire comfortably in the air. The Reds looked set to be sleepwalking to another defeat until the 72nd minute when Bruno Fernandes’ exquisite free-kick gave United hope.. The improbable comeback was completed on 80 minutes when Manuel Ugarte lashed home a brilliant strike from the edge of the penalty area. All that hard work was at risk of going up in smoke, though, when referee Andy Madley awarded a penalty to the hosts after Matthijs de Ligt and Maguire looked to have combined to bring down Ashley Young.. Premier League referee Andy Madley refers to VAR during Manchester United’s draw at Everton(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images). However, Madley was sent to the monitor by VAR Matt Donohue and eventually the decision was overturned. Taking to social media again to explain the call, the Premier League Match Centre wrote: “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.” This statement quickly had to be altered to clarify that game actually restarted with a drop ball.. Article continues below. United’s draw leaves them 15th in the Premier League table.. Subscribe to our brilliant app for the best way to enjoy the M.E.N’s unrivalled Manchester United coverage.. No adverts, pop-ups or distractions – just our brilliant content presented in the best way possible.. Comprehensive, round-the-clock coverage of the Reds, with agenda-setting breaking news and insight from Samuel Luckhurst and our authoritative team of United writers. Exclusive content for subscribers. New interactive elements including (coming soon) quizzes to test your United knowledge.. Try MUFC Pro for a front-row seat to the action at absolutely no cost for the first month. You can get started by downloading our app here on iPhone, or here on Android. If you already have our app, click on the ”MUFC Pro’,’ Subscribe’ or ‘ Remove ads’ links.. *Free trial auto renews at £19.99 annually unless cancelled. T&C’s apply. Ad-free indicates that you will not be shown standard display ad formats with the articles that you read, selected articles may contain commercial messages/affiliate links where contractually required.
