Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti hopes to avoid a ban despite his expulsion at the end of Everton’s Premier League draw with Manchester United, insisting “I did not disrespect the referee”.
The Toffees boss was angry to see his team reject an injury time winner after a VAR exam, and confronted referee Chris Kavanagh to express his frustrations.
As a result, he received a red card and was sent off the field, even though the match was already over.
The incident of the video assistant referee occurred a few minutes before the end of the match, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin shooting behind the net via a deviation from Harry Maguire.
The ball rolled in front of Gylfi Sigurdsson to reach the goal, and although he was in an offside position lying on the ground, the Icelandic midfielder spread his feet and did not touch the ball.
But VAR decided that Sigurdsson was blocking David de Gea’s line of sight and decided to rule out the goal.
As a result, the match ended in a 1-1 draw which keeps Everton in the bottom half of the table but places Man United in fifth place.
And Ancelotti went to the officials after the match and made his feelings known – although we can’t know what would have meant a layoff.
The Italian even revealed that he and Kavanagh had spoken long after their confrontation on the ground, but Ancelotti insisted that he was not “disrespectful” and did not deserve a ban.
“He sent me off the field but then I had a long conversation with him that I would like to keep private,” he told Sky Sports. “The [disallowed] objective, I think it was a borderline situation.
“He [the referee] says Gylfi was offside but in our opinion it did not affect De Gea’s vision. It is difficult to decide but the match is over, it is a draw and we played very well so we are happy.
“The vision was clear because Gylfi was on the ground, but it was offside. Then you need to decide whether the vision is affected or not. “
Perhaps being thrown out of the sidelines for Everton’s next game against his former Chelsea club, Ancelotti added: “I hope not because I did not disrespect the referee , he knows it.
“If I have to be banned, I will be in the stands of Stamford Bridge. It’s not a big deal, honestly, we will prepare well for the match. “
TV footage showed Calvert-Lewin, who scored Everton’s first game via a huge error by De Gea, watching VAR reruns after the game, and his live reaction was revealing.
“It’s a disaster,” could be heard when he said. “Oh my God. It doesn’t even clog the site line.”
In a more formal interview shortly after, Calvert-Lewin told Sky Sports: “At the moment, I wasn’t sure [if it was a goal]. When I see him again, I think that Gylfi on the ground does not obstruct the line of sight.
“Fair enough, he is in an offside position but then he needs a deflection, the goalkeeper goes the other way and his legs are spread apart.
“The goalkeeper will never save the ball, so I’m not sure what it is.
“For me, as an attacker, I think it’s a goal, but VAR says the opposite and cancels the emotion at the end. What can you do?”