OFFICIAL VERDICT: PREMIER LEAGUE EXPLAINS WHY WILLIAM SALIBA'S CONTACT ON BARRY WASN'T A PENALTY
Everton fans are in an uproar after VAR dismissed a clear penalty shout for William Saliba’s challenge on Thierno Barry.
Everton was mad when they didn't get a penalty in the second half against Arsenal while trying to catch up.
Basically, Everton's players were angry because they thought they should've gotten a penalty against Arsenal this past Saturday.
After Viktor Gyokeres scored a penalty in the first half, Everton was behind. Then, around the 60-minute mark, David Moyes' team thought they deserved a penalty when William Saliba seemed to clip Thierno Barry.
Barry got to the ball first, poking it into a risky spot, and Saliba's foot caught Barry's, sending him down. Alan Smith said on Sky Sports, He goes to kick the ball, but he kicks Barry instead. It happens all the time when one player touches the ball first, and the other ends up kicking them.
VAR checked it out but stood by the ref's call. The commentator said, He's a bit lucky. He did kick Barry's foot.
The Premier League Match Centre posted: VAR checked the ref's decision to not give Everton a penalty and agreed, saying Saliba's contact on Barry wasn't enough for a penalty.
One fan on social media complained, Everton was totally robbed of that penalty; it's ridiculous. Someone else said, Everton has every right to feel cheated by those two non-calls!
Another person pointed out that the VAR is a joke in the Everton vs. Arsenal game. Barry touched the ball, and Saliba kicked him. That's a penalty.
Someone else shared, Everton just got robbed of an obvious penalty...
And another added, I don't know why Everton didn't get a penalty after a clear foul on Barry!
Arsenal needed VAR to get their penalty. A post read: After VAR review, the ref changed the original decision of no penalty to Arsenal. Ref announcement: 'After review, Everton No. 15 commits a handball offence. My final decision will be a penalty kick.'
Everton also wanted a penalty a few minutes before when Barry was taken down by Martin Zubimendi, but it was ruled to have happened just outside the box.
BRUNO SALTOR OFFICIALLY JOINS TOTTENHAM AS ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE NORTH LONDON DERBY
Tottenham appoints Bruno Saltor! Discover the new coaching team under Igor Tudor and the departures following Thomas Frank's exit.
Tottenham Hotspur just shook up their coaching staff, bringing in Bruno Saltor, a guy who’s worked with Chelsea and West Ham in the past.
Saltor’s stepping in alongside interim boss Igor Tudor until the season wraps up. Spurs let go of Thomas Frank earlier this month, and, like Manchester United, they’ve decided to go with a temporary setup for now and figure out the bigger picture in the summer.
Tudor, who’s managed clubs like Marseille, Lazio, and Juventus, is set to take charge for the first time this weekend in the North London derby against Arsenal. Saltor will be in the dugout for his first Spurs match, too.
If you’ve followed Saltor’s career, you might know he’s often worked with Graham Potter. That’s how he ended up at both Chelsea and West Ham. When Potter left Chelsea in 2023, Saltor took over as interim head coach. His one match in charge ended in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool. Frank Lampard replaced him soon after, and Saltor stayed on as part of the coaching staff until Mauricio Pochettino arrived, at which point he moved on. He later reunited with Potter at West Ham but left when Potter did in September.
Tottenham’s official statement confirmed the news: “Following the arrival of Igor Tudor as Head Coach until the end of the season, we can now confirm the appointment of three additional coaches to our Men’s First Team coaching staff. We welcome Bruno Saltor as Igor's assistant coach." Born in El Masnou, Spain, Saltor started his playing career in his home country before joining Brighton in 2012. He made 235 appearances there over seven years, then moved into coaching with the Seagulls after retiring in 2019. Since then, he’s picked up experience at Chelsea and West Ham.
Along with Saltor’s appointment, Spurs also announced some departures. Justin Cochrane, John Heitinga, and Chris Haslam are all leaving the coaching staff after Frank’s exit. The club thanked them for their efforts and wished them well.
GLASNER OUT? CRYSTAL PALACE CONSIDERING IMMEDIATE EXIT FOR BOSS AFTER DISMAL EUROPEAN DRAW
Oliver Glasner’s exit is imminent! Discover why Robbie Keane has emerged as the favorite to lead Crystal Palace out of crisis.
Oliver Glasner was supposed to stick around at Crystal Palace until the end of the season. That was the plan, anyway. But after another rough run of results, his exit could come a lot sooner.
Thursday night in Bosnia should’ve been nothing special, just a routine first leg against a team Palace should handle easily, with the real test back at Selhurst Park next week. Instead, a 1-1 draw against Zrinjski Mostar turned into another mess in a season that’s gotten uglier by the week for Glasner and Palace.
The travelling fans didn’t hide how they felt.
Palace have only managed one win in their last 15 games. That’s not a blip; it’s a full-on collapse, and it looks like Glasner’s time might be up even faster than everyone thought.
People at the top of the club have started openly asking if letting Glasner finish out his contract is actually hurting more than helping. He said back in January that he’d leave when his deal was up in the summer, but with results falling off a cliff and morale at rock bottom, those discussions have picked up speed.
Word is, Palace have already started looking for Glasner’s replacement, planning for a summer hire. But now, it looks like they might bring in his successor right away.
One name has shot straight to the top of the list: Robbie Keane.
TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook says Palace are considering Keane as a short-term fix if Glasner goes before the season ends. Keane’s reputation has soared lately. He won the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv, then took the Hungarian league title in his first season at Ferencváros.
His win rate at Maccabi was over 73 per cent. He’s also done time as an assistant coach at Leeds and Middlesbrough. People who’ve played for him, like Ireland’s Callum O’Dowda, rave about him. O’Dowda said, “As soon as he opens his mouth, you want to listen. It’s phenomenal, really. On the coaching side,e he has been good.”
For now, Keane is still in charge at Ferencvaros, who are still in the Europa League, so prying him away won’t be simple.
Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, eight points clear of the relegation zone, but that gap feels less safe with every week they fail to win.
Tottenham even considered Keane as an interim manager before they went with Igor Tudor.