David Moyes slammed the inconsistency of VAR after Everton were denied a potential penalty and saw a harsh handball call go against them in their 1-0 loss to Arsenal.
Everton manager David Moyes expressed profound frustration following his side’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, focusing on two contentious VAR decisions that went against the Toffees.
The Scotsman was particularly aggrieved by a first-half penalty awarded to the Gunners for a handball, as well as a late incident involving William Saliba that was deemed not to be a foul.
Moyes suggested that the lack of consistency in officiating is becoming a major problem for the league.
The most heated moment occurred in the second half when Everton players appealed for a penalty after Saliba appeared to make contact with an attacker in the box.
Despite a review, the decision on the field stood, much to the disbelief of the Goodison Park faithful. “I’m looking for consistency,” Moyes said after the final whistle.
“We had one against us for handball that was very harsh, and then we don’t get one that looked much clearer.”
While Arsenal celebrated reclaiming the top spot, the post-match discourse was dominated by the perceived inequality of the officiating.
Moyes argued that smaller teams often feel the brunt of tight VAR calls when facing the division’s giants. “It’s the same old story,” the Everton boss added.
“You need these big calls to go your way when you play the top teams, and today they simply didn’t.”