The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel has concluded that while Arsenal’s Kai Havertz should have been awarded a penalty against Everton, the VAR was correct not to overturn the original decision.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel unanimously agreed that referee Andy Madley should have awarded Arsenal a penalty during their 2-0 win over Everton.
Kai Havertz went down after Michael Keane stepped on his foot, but play was allowed to continue.
Although the panel felt the on-field call was wrong, they supported the VAR’s decision not to intervene, citing “minimal” contact.
The five-member panel split 3:2 in favor of the VAR, Stuart Attwell, remaining sidelined. This ruling means Arsenal has still not had a VAR error recorded against them this season.
Despite the missed call, the Germany international’s fall was deemed insufficient to meet the “clear and obvious” threshold for a review.
Replays confirmed Keane “inadvertently stepped on Havertz’s foot” during the 24th-minute challenge.