‘Absolutely Scandalous’: Dominic Calvert-Lewin sending off v Crystal Palace branded, VAR credibility questioned

In an otherwise forgettable 0-0 FA Cup third-round contest at Selhurst Park (4 January), England striker Calvert-Lewin was harshly given his marching orders for a challenge on Nathaniel Clyne after 79 minutes.

If the Toffees do not manage to get the ban overturned then Calvert-Lewin will miss three vital matches and Burt feels the incident does little to help the credibility of VAR.

Speaking on Sky Sports News‘ ‘Paper Talk’ segment (5 January), Burt said: “Suddenly you have an incident such as the sending off that gives you something to talk about, apart from that it was the drabbest of 0-0 draws.

“But if you look at that sending-off, (it’s an) absolutely scandalous decision from the VAR and the referee, I mean I just cannot see how that will not be overturned, not in a million years is that a red card.

“It’s barely a foul frankly, no intent, there’s a slight appeal from Marc Guehi but nobody else away on the pitch or in the stands when Chris Kavanagh went over to look at the replay.

“I can’t see how anyone can justify that decision, we’re getting some appalling VAR decisions it seems to getting worse at the moment, especially with tackles like that. The credibility of the whole system is under debate, this doesn’t help, I don’t see how that can be justified in any way shape or form.”

Terms like “scandalous” and “appalling” get thrown around willy-nilly nowadays, so much so that often they can lose their impact.

But, on this occasion, Burt has taken the nail and hit it squarely on the head with a hammer.

It was an absolutely abysmal decision, one that has left pretty much everyone unified in their viewpoint that it was never, ever a red card.

At a time when VAR is getting hammered from all corners it is the last thing that was needed. Quite frankly, it is not fit for purpose right now and decisions like this only add weight to that point of view.

Everton will surely launch an appeal and with a bit of luck it will get overturned because the Toffees really could do with their leading marksman to be available. Having lost three straight Premier League games, Everton cannot really afford to be without too many of their best players.