Everton found themselves at the center of fresh VAR controversy on Sunday after Jake O’Brien saw a potential opening goal against Aston Villa ruled out despite being in a clearly onside position.
The Irish defender thought he had broken the deadlock at Villa Park by heading home a James Garner cross, but the linesman’s flag was raised for an offside against teammate Harrison Armstrong, who jumped for the ball but failed to make contact.
After a review, the Premier League Match Centre confirmed the goal was disallowed because “Armstrong interfered with an opponent’s ability to play the ball from an offside position,” specifically impacting Villa’s Emi Buendia.
The decision sparked immediate debate, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp remarking, “Everton fans I’m sure will be furious watching that… I think they’re really unlucky there, Everton.”
Former defender Ashley Williams agreed, noting that while Armstrong jumped, O’Brien simply outjumped his own marker, Evann Guessand.
The incident adds to a growing list of grievances for manager David Moyes, who has recently dealt with a wrongly denied penalty against Arsenal and a contentious red card for Michael Keane, leading co-commentator Chris Sutton to observe, “I suspect David Moyes will be furious with that.”
Although Everton later benefited from a lenient officiating call when James Garner avoided a second yellow card, the disallowed header remains the focal point of a match defined by the PGMOL’s strict interpretation of “interfering with play.”