It is almost a fortnight since Everton’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United, so we could probably be forgiven for thinking we’d filed this one away.
Not quite. The Premier League’s panel of refereeing experts has now delivered its verdict on one of the game’s more contentious moments, unanimously backing referee John Brooks over his decision not to award United a penalty for James Tarkowski’s challenge on Matheus Cunha.
Given what subsequently happened to United in the Manchester derby, there is also a certain irony to the timing.
Anatomy of a crucial challenge at Hill Dickinson Stadium
United were leading through Bryan Mbeumo when Marcus Rashford drove into the Everton penalty area, beating Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite before finding Cunha in a dangerous central position.
Cunha looked ready to shoot, only for Tarkowski to recover and make a superbly timed challenge through the United forward’s legs. Branthwaite collected the loose ball and cleared, while United’s players immediately appealed for a penalty.
Brooks waved those appeals away, and VAR did not intervene. Replays showed why, with Tarkowski reaching the ball cleanly before Cunha could get his shot away.
Why the Premier League panel unanimously backed John Brooks
The incident has subsequently been considered by the Premier League’s panel of refereeing experts, who unanimously supported the original decision. Its explanation was admirably straightforward:
“The referee’s call of no penalty was supported as Tarkowski clearly and fairly won the ball through Cunha’s legs.”
So, 11 days after the event, Everton can finally sleep easily. It hardly alters the memories of a game eventually illuminated by Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ wonderful stoppage-time equaliser, but it does settle any lingering argument over Tarky’s challenge.
The Liverpool Echo’s report carries further details of the panel’s findings.
Tarkowski’s precision and Manchester United’s VAR apology
There is an interesting contrast with what happened to United a week later. Erling Haaland’s goal gave Manchester City a 1-0 derby victory at Old Trafford, but refereeing officials subsequently acknowledged that Enzo Fernandez had interfered with play from an offside position and that the goal should not have stood.
The incidents are entirely separate, but the timing is noteworthy. United had genuine grounds for complaint in the derby; at the Hill Dickinson, the subsequent review found they did not. For Everton, it simply confirms what the replays appeared to show at the time: Tarkowski got his challenge right.
What the verdict means…
There probably isn’t a grand tactical lesson hidden in a refereeing panel finally telling us what we already suspected. It was, though, an excellent piece of defending from a player whose experience remains important to Moyes.
In a match Everton twice had to come from behind to draw, Tarkowski prevented United from having a great opportunity to establish a two-goal lead.
Moyes’ side have made an encouraging start while attempting to sustain their European qualification push. Everton have previously had to contend with nervy statistics in important matches, but there was nothing nervous about Tarkowski’s intervention.
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