“This is obviously UNACCEPTABLE, VAR judges this challenge wrongly”- VAR get Everton v Brentford controversy wrong, should not intervene.
Christian Norgaard should not have been sent off during the 0-0 draw between Everton and Brentford at Goodison Park on Saturday, according to former Premier League referee Keith Hackett.
The key moment of the otherwise uneventful match on November 23 came in the 41st minute when Norgaard was shown a red card for a high challenge on Jordan Pickford. Referee Chris Kavanagh initially saw no malicious intent but changed his decision after reviewing the incident on the VAR monitor.
In an exclusive interview with Goodison News, Hackett, who previously served as both a Premier League referee and the PGMOL chief, stated that VAR was wrong to intervene and should have allowed Kavanagh to uphold his on-field decision.
“Kavanagh was in a good position to assess the incident and deemed there was no foul,” Hackett explained. “At worst, the challenge could have been considered reckless (a yellow card), but for that kind of offense, VAR shouldn’t have gotten involved. In my view, VAR made an incorrect judgment. This wasn’t serious foul play, and I would have preferred Kavanagh to stick with his original decision and let the game continue.”
Despite the man advantage, Everton couldn’t capitalize, and the match ended in a goalless draw. The Toffees started strong, similar to their previous 1-1 draw against West Ham on November 9, but faltered in the second half. Dominic Calvert-Lewin had another disappointing outing, hitting only two of his five shots on target. Beto, who came on as a substitute, posed some problems for the Brentford defense but lacked finishing quality.
With tough matches against Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City on the horizon in December, the outlook is bleak for Sean Dyche’s side.
In other Everton news, Dwight McNeil has drawn comparisons to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer for his performances with the Toffees this season.
