Pundits Danny Murphy and Alan Shearer both expressed their disagreement with the penalty awarded to Everton against Arsenal. The decision was made after Myles Lewis-Skelly was deemed to have fouled Jack Harrison, but both Murphy and Shearer felt that the contact was insufficient to warrant a penalty.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, Murphy stated that while he initially wanted Everton to be awarded the penalty, he believed it was a “really bad decision.” He argued that the contact between Lewis-Skelly and Harrison was minimal, and that Harrison could have been considered the aggressor.
Shearer concurred, describing the penalty as “very, very soft.” He acknowledged that there was some contact, but believed it was not enough to justify a penalty. Shearer also noted that once the on-field decision had been made, it was unlikely to be overturned by VAR.
Host Gary Lineker chimed in, highlighting the challenges of using VAR in its current format. He pointed out that determining whether a foul is “clear and obvious” can be subjective, and that this can lead to inconsistent decisions.
