Everton manager David Moyes has launched a furious broadside against Video Assistant Referee (VAR) officials, branding the system's current state as 'in a difficult position' following a series of controversial incidents.
Moyes' Fury Over Inconsistent Punishments
The Scot's frustration erupted after Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli avoided any retrospective action for an incident involving Liverpool's Conor Bradley. During stoppage time in Thursday night's draw at the Emirates, Bradley, 22, fell awkwardly while clearing the ball.
Martinelli first threw the ball at the injured defender before attempting to push him off the pitch so play could resume. The Brazilian received a yellow card from the match official, and Daily Mail Sport understands he will face no further punishment as the incident was deemed seen by the referee. Martinelli has since apologised to Bradley.
Contrast with Keane's Three-Match Ban
Moyes' anger stems directly from the contrasting treatment of his own player, Michael Keane. The Everton defender was shown a red card after VAR official Chris Kavanagh advised on-field referee Tom Kirk to review the monitor for a hair-pulling incident involving striker Tolu Arokodare.
Keane was subsequently handed a three-match suspension, a decision upheld after an unsuccessful club appeal. Moyes finds the disparity in outcomes 'quite extraordinary'.
'What Michael Keane did was a sending-off and a three-game ban,' Moyes stated. 'But we saw last night it’s OK to throw a ball at somebody and pick them up with a bad injury, but to have a little pull of someone’s hair accidentally means a three-game ban.'
A Pattern of Inconsistency
The Everton boss pointed to further examples to underline his argument, including an incident where Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan scraped his studs down the calf of Newcastle's Harrison Armstrong without sanction.
Moyes expressed sympathy for the officials involved but was scathing of the VAR process in Keane's case. 'This was a young referee doing only his third or fourth game and VAR gave him a terrible decision,' he said. 'VAR didn’t need to get involved in that at all, looking for the smallest things.'
He concluded with a damning assessment of the technology's current application: 'They are doing the best they can, but if that is the best they can do at the moment, then they are in a difficult position.' The controversy leaves Moyes with further selection headaches ahead of Everton's FA Cup tie.
