Manchester United salvaged a 2-2 draw against Everton in their Premier League clash after a last-minute penalty was ruled out by VAR.
Right now, Manchester United are playing at a level of a team in a relegation battle—there’s no denying it.
Everton dominated Ruben Amorim’s side in the first half, with Beto scoring the opener before Abdoulaye Doucouré netted another, as United’s defending looked more suited to the Championship—if not worse.
Amorim’s team didn’t improve much after the break, but a moment of brilliance from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick pulled one back and sparked some life into United.
Manuel Ugarte then netted a well-taken half-volley to equalise, with substitutes Alejandro Garnacho and Chido Obi making an impact.
Late on, Everton appeared to have been awarded a penalty, with former Red Ashley Young young going down inside the box after what looked to be a pull from Harry Maguire.
However, after VAR reviewed the incident, it was recommended for Andy Madley to conduct an on-field review, where he ultimately decided to go back on his decision and save United’s blushes.
Premier League statement on United penalty controversy
Since the full-time whistle, there has been much debate about the decision to rule out the penalty. Some believe that Young went down too easily while others believe that it was at the very least not a “clear and obvious error” from Madley.
The Premier League have since clarified the reasoning behind the decision, with the verdict being that “no foul had been committed” by Maguire.
“VAR checked the referee’s call of penalty to Everton for a challenge by Maguire on Young and deemed that no foul had been committed and recommended an on-field review,” the Premier League’s Match Centre wrote on X.
“The referee overturned the original decision and play restarted with a drop ball.”
This was met with a stunned reaction from many supporters, who believe that Maguire’s held Young back from meeting the ball.
On the other hand, United fans might have felt hard-done-by considering fouls on Maguire were ignored during the game for similar amounts of contact.
Read More: Rio Ferdinand lauds two Manchester United players who ‘changed the game’ vs Everton
Nevertheless, for Amorim’s side, they should feel fortunate that they escaped with a point in their last visit of Goodison Park, with or without the penalty incident.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.