Everton and Man Utd given new penalty verdict as ex-PGMOL boss steps in

Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has had his say on the controversial end to Everton’s draw with Manchester United after the Toffees were awarded and then denied a penalty

Keith Hackett has laid into VAR for the “farcical” decision to intervene in the late penalty shout during Saturday’s draw between Everton and Manchester United.

The former PGMOL chief is the latest figure to give his verdict after Andy Madley reversed his decision to award Everton a stoppage-time spot-kick.

Madley was advised to watch the incident back on the pitchside monitor before changing his mind – but Hackett feels Madley got the call spot-on in the first place after Ashely Young went down in the box and cannot see why he was sent to the monitor by VAR.

He said: “So Andy Madley, correctly in my opinion, awards a penalty kick for holding. So why has VAR got to intervene and then convince Madley to overturn his decision?”

“Come on guys you’re making decisions that are farcical, a correct decision overturned incorrectly, because of VAR intervention. Andy you’re better than this, tell the VAR to go and do one because you were correct in the first instance and you’ve now overturned a good decision and disallowed a penalty kick. You’re wrong,” Hackett told Football Insider.

The decision to wipe out the last-gasp penalty which would have given Everton the chance to seal a deserved victory has become a huge talking point in the hours following Saturday’s match.

United went in two goals down at the break courtesy of Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure but hit back in the second half through Bruno Fernandes and summer signing, Manuel Ugarte, who picked the perfect time to plunder his first Red Devils goal.

The angles shown to Madley were questioned by some on social media, including Alan Shearer, who agreed with Lee Westwood after the golfer pointed out that the referee had been shown the ‘wrong angle’ of the incident in question.

Fernandes, however, insisted that justice was done when Madley made his U-turn, as the penalty should never have been awarded in the first place. He told TNT Sports: “No, no. The referee said the angle was very close from the body so it’s nothing to do with that. We have to do much more, me first. Everyone has to lift standards of each other and end the season in the best way possible.

“We had our chances second half but we started late. We didn’t have enough movement. We need to start the games better. Every time we concede a goal and we are down is when we start playing and taking risks.”

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