EPL: ‘Awoniyi decision was penalty’ – Lampard blasts three VAR calls after Everton won
Coventry City Manager Frank Lampard expressed frustration over several controversial VAR decisions following his team’s 3-1 defeat to Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Friday night.
Coventry initially took the lead through a goal from Yann Gboho, but Everton responded with a quick double from Thierno Barry, along with a goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, securing their victory against Lampard’s squad.
Lampard’s discontent stemmed from three specific incidents that he believed warranted VAR intervention. The first occurred in the first half when James Tarkowski appeared to pull the hair of Caleb Yirenkyi in the penalty area, but referee Stuart Attwell did not award a penalty.
“They are saying it’s not enough of a pull, and I think it’s a hard area to be,” Lampard said during the post-match interview.
The second controversial moment unfolded early in the second half when Taiwo Awoniyi went down following a challenge from Vitaliy Mykolenko. Lampard argued that the incident took place on the edge of the box and should have resulted in a penalty.
“Taiwo, for me, on the line of the box is a penalty. You’ve got to give the foul in real time anyway; the ref did let it go, and I felt it was a penalty,” he stated.
The final incident involved Barry’s second goal. Although the goal was reviewed for a potential handball, it was ultimately deemed valid.
“The Barry one is a handball; I have heard they are saying it didn’t touch his hand, but I have seen an angle where he flicked it in with the final touch. VAR is there for that,” Lampard remarked.
The match ended with Everton claiming a crucial away victory and leaving Coventry with questions about the officiating.
