Football was the winner yesterday. Not the spectacle, you understand, that was dull, dreary boring, boring football played by two teams who didn’t want to lose: It was as if the [manager’s sensibilities](https://www.claretandhugh.info/graham-potter-feeling-the-heat-ahead-of-moyes-showdown/) were more important than the points.
Old-fashioned decency was the winner. Both managers on the pitch after the game, applauding their fans – David Moyes walking over, hugging former players and applauding the away fans, West Ham supporters responding by singing ‘champions of Europe’ back at their trophy-winning former coach: It all fair near brought a tear to the eye.
The two sole managerial Premier League representatives from the UK clearly have a lot of respect for each other and from their fans and exuded that typically ‘British’ sense of fair play.
It was a teeny shame that their ‘mutual respect’ meant neither wanted to lay a glove on the other, like two boxers who refuse to try and hurt the other.
_Speaking of ‘fair play’ – Football also benefitted_ thanks to the timely, correct and fair intervention of VAR. For the first time I can remember, nobody on the home terraces booed when the penalty was rescinded. Everton’s Beto quite clearly – even on first view at normal speed- kicked the ground, fell over and got awarded a penalty.
Referee Darren Bond’s brain-fart was quickly corrected and for that the officials should be commended – not the original decision but the willingness to listen and correct the mistake. I’m a huge critic of VAR when it goes wrong, so well done team, thanks to VAR there was a fair result and , indeed, football was the winner on an ‘old fashioned afternoon’ of respect.
Dull, boring, negative, bland and dreary football.
But with plenty of respect.