Michael Owen blasts VAR ‘mistake’ over Everton penalty decision in Manchester United draw

Michael Owen has accused VAR of ‘letting the referee down’ for Everton’s penalty claim in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Saturday. David Moyes’ side were two goals up by half time through Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure but United earned a point following their second-half comeback as Bruno Fernandes scored from a free kick before Manuel Ugarte found the net with 10 minutes remaining.

Everton then had a strong claim for a penalty as both Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire pulled at Ashley Young’s shirt before the Everton defender tumbled inside the box. Referee Andy Madley immediately pointed to the spot, however, the VAR, Matt Donohue, instructed Madley to review his decision which was then overturned after he watched the replay of the incident on the pitch-side monitor.

But Owen believes Madley should have received multiple angles of the incident from the VAR and feels the shirt pull from De Ligt on Young was overlooked. ‘They’ve not looked at the right angle, in my opinion,’ Owen told Premier League Productions.

‘If everything which we’ve seen in real time during the game, if that’s the angle the referee has been given then I don’t blame the referee for saying no. ‘But he’s not been given the angle, he needs to be given the angle from behind the goal, zoomed in.

‘From that angle [the referee was given by VAR] it just looks like a dive, I agree with the referee, can’t give a penalty on that evidence. ‘The VAR has let the referee down, in my opinion there. He’s not given him all the various angles that you need to form a full opinion of whether that’s a foul or not.

‘He’s given him one angle across the 18-yard box and given it to him ten times. He can see that after one replay, show him the whole lot, give him three, four, five angles. ‘This one [the angle behind the goal] is the only one he needs and it’s the only one he doesn’t get.

‘There are two angles that showed the shirt pull, not one of the replays showed the shirt pull and he’s going from side-on. ‘VAR is to blame, not the referee. VAR didn’t give him the right angle. ‘It was a really exaggerated dive from Ashley Young, let’s get it right, it was the worst dive ever. He’s pulled his shirt and his legs have gone over, it was the worst dive ever but Ashley Young is amazing at it.

‘Whether it’s a penalty or not I’m still debating, it was a tiny tug, what I’m most disappointed at is the referee hasn’t been given a chance to make an informed decision. ‘It makes me believe the referee didn’t give the penalty for shirt-pulling, because if he had seen the shirt pull he would’ve said, ‘I’ve seen a shirt pull, not that’. It makes me believe the referee has bought the dive as if it was a trip. But that’s what VAR is there for, to assist him.’.

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