Lampard VAR Coventry Everton — Frank Lampard believes VAR let Coventry down in their 3-1 Premier League loss at Everton, with three separate reviews going against his side. The Coventry manager said the technology was there for exactly these moments but failed to intervene, and he pointed to two rejected penalty appeals and a handball question over Everton’s second goal.
The decisions were reviewed by VAR officials Timothy Wood and Gary Beswick, while referee Stuart Attwell also waved away the on-field appeals. Coventry had taken the lead before the two penalty claims, but Everton recovered to win on Friday night.
Lampard: 'VAR didn't do its job'
Lampard told Sky Sports that he did not want to come across as a complainer and acknowledged that momentum can swing in a game, especially at a ground where he has worked. But he stressed that major calls directly alter results, and he felt the video officials had the chance to correct the balance.
“VAR is there for that and it didn’t do its job,” Lampard said, adding that the disappointment was about the circumstances rather than the football itself.
Tarkowski hair pull goes unpunished
Late in the first half, James Tarkowski rose to defend a high ball into the box. He caught Ethan Pinnock with an elbow and also appeared to pull the hair of Caleb Yirenkyi. VAR reviewed the incident, particularly the elbow, but no card or penalty was awarded.
The Premier League issued new guidance this summer stating that a red card is warranted for a clear and deliberate hair pull with excessive force or brutality, while a yellow card applies if the action lacks those elements. Referees were also told to penalise holding actions that materially affect an opponent’s ability to play or challenge for the ball.
Lampard argued that the rules were clear enough. He accepted that the updated framework may have removed the red-card threshold, but he still saw a foul because Yirenkyi was prevented from building momentum to jump.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp agreed it should have been a penalty, saying Tarkowski’s pull stopped Yirenkyi from elevating, even if the force did not merit a sending-off. Co-commentator Lee Hendrie noted the elbow was not the main issue but that the hair pull was visible and should have drawn VAR’s attention.
Mykolenko challenge on Awoniyi
Early in the second half, Taiwo Awoniyi drove into the box with Vitalii Mykolenko behind him. Contact from behind sent the striker to the ground, but Attwell gave no penalty and the VAR review judged the contact to have occurred outside the area.
Lampard disputed that reading, insisting Awoniyi’s foot was entering the box while his knee and the back of his knee were on the line. He suggested the referee may have waited for VAR because the incident was borderline.
Redknapp was harsher, calling the VAR handling poor and arguing that if any part of the challenge is on the line, it should be treated as inside the box. He felt the review was rushed and that Attwell should have been asked to look at the pitchside monitor.
Handball question over Barry's second goal
Thierno Barry’s second goal restored Everton’s lead inside four minutes, bundling home from Tyrique George’s cross as the ball bounced unpredictably. VAR checked the goal for a possible handball but found no conclusive evidence and allowed it to stand.
Wood, the VAR official, was heard saying the ball struck Barry’s side and was definitely not hand, confirming the on-field decision of goal. The Premier League Match Centre later posted that the referee’s call was checked and confirmed because Barry was deemed not to have committed a handball offence.
Hendrie maintained on co-commentary that it was a handball and the goal should have been disallowed, and Lampard shared that view. The Coventry boss said Barry’s last touch flicked the ball into the net and that the check was very quick.
Barry was less concerned, saying simply that a goal is a goal and that scoring twice was his job as a striker.
Redknapp, after studying the incident closely, thought the ball did brush Barry’s hand but understood why VAR did not intervene because the evidence was not clear and obvious enough to overturn the goal.
Moyes acknowledges decisions even out
Everton manager David Moyes said he cared about getting the right result but noted his side had recently been on the wrong end of tight calls, including one at Newcastle and another at Manchester City last season that mattered for European qualification. He accepted that decisions sometimes favour one team and sometimes the other, and said he would likely complain more if they were going against him.
