Everton manager David Moyes looking angry.
(Credit: Imago)
Declan Carr
Wed 20 August 2025 9:40, UK
Everton will be looking to bounce back from a dismal start to the Premier League season on Sunday.
The Blues suffered a 1-0 loss against newly-promoted Leeds United on Monday as James Tarkowski gave away a controversial penalty.
David Moyes will be looking for a reaction from his players when Brighton visit the Hill Dickinson Stadium on 24 August.
However, a new announcement from the Premier League will have the Scotsman concerned yet again ahead of the contest.
David Moyes shouting at Everton
David Moyes was not happy at Leeds. (Credit: Imago)
David Moyes will be livid as VAR appointment made for Everton vs Brighton
Moyes was furious with the officiating team after the loss to Leeds, and his anger may not fade after the latest appointment for the Seagulls clash.
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Lee Betts will be the assistant VAR against Fabian Hurzeler’s side, despite two high-profile incidents in the Elland Road loss, where he was a linesman.
The 44-year-old was the one who advised the referee to give the penalty against Tarkowski, and he also failed to award a corner when the ball was visibly out of play.
Stuart Attwell is the referee, Constantine Hatzidakis and Nick Hopton are the linesmen, and Tom Nield is the fourth official.
Everton could face more Brighton pain after VAR announcement
Tension will likely be high in the Toffees’ first game at their new stadium, and the appointment of Betts certainly will not lessen it.
There were issues with VAR when the Blues fell to a 3-0 defeat against Brighton at Goodison Park last season, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a penalty overturned.
Simon Hooper could not consult the VAR monitor as it had technical difficulties, and had to use a backup monitor.
The Blues need to win on Sunday to start gaining momentum after a disappointing opener, but they will not be too confident after the controversial announcement on Betts.
Hopefully, they can take an early stronghold on the contest and leave any potential refereeing errors to the wayside, rather than having further controversy surrounding their campaign already.
The league could have avoided a lot of attention by not appointing Betts to the contest, but it is too late now, and if anything happens, it will just cause more problems.
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