Moyes Expresses VAR Concerns as Barry’s Goal Disallowed

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, September 20, 2026

Everton secured a 1-0 win against Ipswich Town, but manager David Moyes criticized VAR for overturning Thierno Barry’s second goal due to an offside call he deemed inconsistent. The controversy highlights ongoing debates about VAR’s impact on decision-making and the potential influence on future matches.

Everton manager David Moyes raised concerns about the consistency of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions following a disallowed goal by Thierno Barry during their 1-0 victory over Ipswich Town on Sunday. Barry opened the scoring in the 11th minute by redirecting a 35-yard strike from James Tarkowski into the net. However, a second goal for Barry was subsequently ruled out after referee Stuart Attwell was advised that Ipswich’s Brennan Johnson was offside, despite the players being positioned in the opposite half of the goal relative to where Barry’s header entered.

Moyes questioned the rationale behind the VAR intervention, stating that officials cited Johnson’s offside position as impacting the goalkeeper’s ability to make a save, a claim Moyes disputed. “Do I think we will get consistency from that decision through all the season on the same thing? I’ll be doubtful of that,” Moyes said. “The goalkeeper wouldn’t have saved the header. That was the bit I’d be looking at.”

The match also saw Ipswich’s Abdul Fatawu receive a second yellow card in the 67th minute for simulation. Ipswich manager Gary O’Neil acknowledged the need for greater caution following Fatawu’s dismissal. “I didn’t think it was a blatant one,” O’Neil said. “I’ve spoken to him about being a bit more experienced, more wise in those situations when he is on a yellow – giving the ref a decision to make comes with risk.”

Everton’s Jordan Pickford was named man of the match after a series of crucial saves, helping secure their narrow win. The game featured a contested refereeing narrative, with key moments influencing the final outcome.

The full Everton lineup included Pickford; Maitland-Niles (substituted by O’Brien in the 90th minute), Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Armstrong, Garner; Johnson (Dibling 66), Dewsbury-Hall (Hackney 90), Grealish (George 79); Barry. Ipswich fielded Walton; Ouattara, Diop, O’Shea, Davis; Lukic (Florentino 73), Palacios (Akpom 81); Fatawu, Enciso (Maeda 74), Clarke (Philogene-Bidace 66); Emersonn (Flemming 81).

The match was officiated by referee Stuart Attwell. Everton maintained their lead to claim a 1-0 victory over Ipswich.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.