Everton fans may be livid to see or rewatch the incident which resulted in Seamus Coleman not being awarded a penalty.
The Lowdown: Positives to take from the draw
A point away from home against a relegation rival should be seen as a positive result, especially considering Nottingham Forest have not lost a home league game in their last eight outings.
However, the fact that Everton scored twice in a league game for just the third time this season and also indeed took the lead on two occasions, it will have felt more like a defeat for Evertonians.
The Toffees will be frustrated that they failed to keep a clean sheet away from home again – they’ve only managed one in the league all season – and the fact they squandered two leads, but it could have been very different had VAR intervened in the first half.
The Latest: Coleman denied a penalty despite contact
Coleman – who appears to be more attack-minded of late – found himself deep in the Forest box ready to cross the ball, only for Jack Colback’s leg to obstruct him and get between himself and the ball.
This saw the Republic of Ireland international take a tumble and with the scores at 1-1, if VAR had stepped in and awarded a spot kick, then the Toffees could have been buoyed for the second 45 minutes and taken all three points.
The Verdict: Huge call from VAR
While there is indeed contact from Colback, he doesn’t actually initiate it and it’s Coleman who kicks the back of the Forest player’s leg, so there’s very little he can do to avoid the Everton defender.
Therefore, it’s likely a case of VAR will never overturn a decision such as this one as it’s not a clear and obvious error, so if John brooks had pointed to the spot, that decision would have more than likely stood.
From the image above it looks as though it’s a decision that, as the attacking team, Everton will have been desperate for it as Colback stops Coleman from crossing the ball, whereas Forest will insist their number eight did nothing and it was Coleman who actually kicked him.
About the Author
