The Premier League have confirmed that referee John Brooks and VAR officials were correct not to award Manchester United a penalty at Everton in the 2-2 draw at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha was fairly tackled by James Tarkowski against Everton
Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha was fairly tackled by James Tarkowski against Everton(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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The Premier League has confirmed that referee John Brooks and VAR officials were correct not to award Manchester United a penalty against Everton in their 2-2 draw at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Bryan Mbeumo broke the deadlock for Michael Carrick's side shortly after the interval, curling the ball low with precision from the edge of the area.
United then believed they had an opportunity to double their advantage from the spot when Matheus Cunha was seemingly brought down from behind by Everton captain James Tarkowski
Having received the ball in the Blues' half, Marcus Rashford surged with pace into Jordan Pickford's area, leaving both Tarkowski and his centre-back partner Jarrad Branthwaite in his wake with some slick footwork before backheeling it to Cunha on the edge of the six-yard box.
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As the Brazilian forward shaped to score, a last-gasp challenge from Tarkowski dispossessed him, sparking penalty appeals from United players on the pitch and travelling supporters in the stands.
Although VAR briefly reviewed the incident, replays demonstrated that Tarkowski had won the ball fairly before Branthwaite cleared the danger.
And the Premier League has since confirmed that their panel of refereeing experts unanimously backed the decision to wave away the spot-kick appeals.
They said: "The referee's call of no penalty was supported as Tarkowski clearly and fairly won the ball through Cunha's legs."
The incident occurred just a week before Sunday's contentious decision to allow Erling Haaland's winning goal to stand against United in their 1-0 Manchester derby defeat to City.
The on-field ruling initially flagged Haaland offside, though it was subsequently argued that the Norwegian was in fact onside, with Patrick Dorgu's outstretched leg playing him on.
However, officials failed to acknowledge that Man City midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was positioned in an offside position, had interfered with play, meaning the goal ought never to have been given.
Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref has since conceded an "error of judgment" on the part of the VAR officials, with United receiving a formal apology.