Sport nationPaul Merson and Mike Dean, two experienced voices in football, were left stunned and flabbergasted by a controversial moment in the Everton vs Arsenal match on Sunday. Kai Havertz’s late goal gave Arsenal a 2-1 victory, but the real talking point was the handball by Gabriel Jesus that went unpunished, leading to the goal.
Merson and Dean, both working as pundits for Sky Sports, couldn’t believe the decision made by referee Michael Oliver, who chose not to award a handball despite being asked to review the play on the VAR monitor. Merson exclaimed, “The ball comes in, as it comes in he goes like that with his arm, he goes and has a look and my god, can you believe it?”
Dean, a former Premier League referee himself, was equally baffled, saying, “No. We had one last week at Bournemouth where someone handballed it, two more passes and the ball’s in the back of the net, he was sent to the screen to see if it was a subjective handball or not, the goal then gets disallowed. This is an exact carbon copy where he’s knocked it past him, there’s one pass and it’s in the back of the net, I think it should be chalked off.”
The decision not to award a handball and disallow the goal left many Everton fans frustrated, although the team’s safety in the Premier League next season lessened the impact of the decision. The incident added to a difficult season for Everton, marked by points deductions, financial woes, and takeover talk. Despite this, Sean Dyche managed to steer the team to safety, showcasing the grit and determination needed to remain a top-flight team.
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