Moyes fumes over VAR intervention as injury-time penalty decision is controversially reversed

The Everton manager said he "didn’t think VAR needed to get involved" after Ashley Young was originally ruled to have bee fouled by Harry Maguire

LATE DRAMA: The giant screen display a VAR decision of, no penalty, after referee Andrew Madley overturned his initial decision to award a penalty to Everton in the close stages of the Premier League match at Goodison Park, Liverpool. Pic: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

David Moyes cut a frustrated figure after an injury-time penalty which could have helped his Everton side swing a wild contest with Manchester United back their way was reversed. 

Referee Andy Madley's on-field decision was to award the 93rd minute spot kick to the hosts after he adjudged Ashley Young had been fouled by a combination of Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt in a coming together. However VAR recommended a trip to the monitor and Madley reversed his decision despite what looked to be a couple of clear tugs on the Everton winger, even if Young did make the most of the contact.

“I didn’t think VAR needed to get involved,” said Moyes after the 2-2 draw. “I can’t understand why the referee on the field makes a decision and doesn’t stick with it.

“If it was a clear and obvious mistake then I understand, that’s what VAR is for. But I didn’t see a clear and obvious mistake.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t take all three points. We drew here 2-2 with Liverpool and it felt like a win. This 2-2 draw feels like a defeat."

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim who had been staring down the barrel of yet another dispiriting defeat unsurprisingly believed the decision was a correct one. 

“From what I saw, it was a bit of a soft touch,” he said. “And we are in England. So you guys enjoy a lot the physicality of the game, I think was soft.

“If there had been a penalty, it would have been tough on us. But we just played one half and we managed to to draw the game. We didn't exist in the first half, everything we did during the week, we forgot.

"And then the second half and the halftime, I said that, no matter what the result, we are going to do what we did in during the week, but with a little bit more energy. We need to survive this season and then we can think ahead."