Everton’s controversial disallowed goal against Ipswich Town has returned to the spotlight after the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel revealed a split verdict on the decision.
Thierno Barry thought he had scored his second goal of the afternoon at the Hill Dickinson, only for VAR to intervene because Brennan Johnson was in an offside position in front of goalkeeper Christian Walton.
The goal was eventually ruled out for interference, but the Premier League’s newly published KMI findings show that the panel was divided over the incident.
Premier League panel split over Everton goal
The panel concluded that the original decision to award the goal was incorrect, with two votes supporting the on-field decision and three against.
It then voted 3-2 that VAR was right to intervene because a ‘clear and obvious’ error had been made. The majority concluded that Johnson was in “very close proximity” to Walton and made a movement which affected the goalkeeper’s ability to set himself and move towards the ball.
Two panellists disagreed, believing Johnson’s position and actions did not affect Walton. That split won’t go unnoticed by Evertonians who questioned the decision at the time. VAR intervened on the basis that a ‘clear and obvious’ error had been made, yet two members of the five-person panel did not believe the goal should have been disallowed.
The Premier League also explained that officials didn’t need to decide whether Walton would have saved Barry’s effort. Under the offside law, the question was whether Johnson affected his ability to play the ball. The KMI Panel ultimately backed the VAR intervention, but only by a 3-2 majority.
Everton won the game 1-0, although the publication of the panel’s findings has given the debate over Barry’s disallowed goal another airing.
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