Jamie Carragher “understands” why referee Darren England awarded Everton a penalty against Arsenal as the Sky Sports pundit claims the Gunners were a “mess” in the build up.
Leandro Trossard gave Mikel Arteta’s side the lead with a well-directed shot into the far corner on the counter-attack but Iliman Ndiaye levelled from the penalty spot after Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have fouled Jack Harrison in the box.
England’s decision to award Everton the spot-kick along with a number of other calls led Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett to wonder whether he is “frankly good enough” to officiate Premier League games.
And Jamie Carragher claims the decision highlights “what’s wrong with VAR” but can see why it was given.
Carragher told Sky Sports: “If it was a penalty, it was very, very soft and I’m with Mikel Arteta, I don’t think it was a penalty. When I first saw it, I thought it was a penalty. I could understand the referee giving it in some ways because it was a bit of a mess from Arsenal. I think the centre-back, Kiwior leaves the ball, Lewis-Skelly gets himself caught with Harrison, it looks like a bit of a tangle.
“So, I can understand the referee giving it but then when you look at it, it looked really, really soft and in some ways, that decision or those type of decisions are almost what’s wrong with VAR. You look at it and you say, that’s not a penalty.
“But it’s not an absolute howler and then VAR don’t get involved and really, it’s just not a penalty. And that’s where sometimes I’d like VAR just to say, it’s not about the referee making a horrendous decision, it’s not a penalty, you make that decision and you move on.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insisted after the game that there’s “no way” it was a penalty and Alan Shearer agreed with him and Carragher that it was “very soft”, before Gary Lineker explained why it was a good example of why VAR doesn’t work.
Shearer said on BBC Match of the Day: “Yeah I think it’s very, very soft, no, not enough to give penalty for me, no.
“And they’re not going to overturn it, there is a little bit of contact, look, when he falls he does clip his leg, but not for me no I think that’s very, very harsh.”
Gary Lineker added: “This is why VAR can never work in the current format because you’ve got to decide if it’s enough of a foul which just makes no sense whatsoever.”