Everton were furious when the ref refused to give them a penalty at West Ham. Matheus Fernandes pretty much slapped the ball away inside his own box while defending against Thierno Barry. It looked obvious to most people watching; even plenty of West Ham fans admitted it was blatant. Fernandes moved his arm right toward the ball – a totally unnatural position and definitely not accidental.

Football’s often about shades of grey, but this one seemed crystal clear: a textbook handball penalty. Unless Fernandes started dribbling the ball like an NBA player, it's hard to imagine what more he could’ve done. Even his own manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, said he was “scared” to answer when asked if it was a penalty. That’s as close as you get to the other manager admitting his team caught a big break.

The people making the call, though, saw it differently. Referee Stuart Attwell had a good spot but missed it. That’s supposed to be where VAR comes in to fix obvious mistakes. If VAR doesn’t step in for something like this, what are we even using it for? Why didn’t Michael Salisbury or Daniel Robathan, the officials at Stockley Park, say something?

I’ve never really trusted VAR, and honestly, I’ve started to hate the nitpicky mess it’s turned into. Just imagine it ruining a dramatic finish like the Rochdale vs York City promotion battle earlier that day. Still, this seemed like exactly the kind of moment where VAR should do its job or else scrap it altogether. But VAR’s here to stay in the Premier League, even though the Championship has pushed back against it.

Now, Everton plans to act. Chief executive Angus Kinnear will contact referees’ bosses to complain about Premier League officiating consistency.

This isn’t new. Back in 2022, after Manchester City’s Rodri handled the ball in the box at Goodison Park and went unpunished, Everton’s manager and chairman got phone calls from PGMOL boss Mike Riley after they lodged a complaint. But, you know, talk is cheap. Until officials start treating Everton fairly, nothing changes.

All season, Everton’s been dogged by inconsistent decisions. Their campaign started at Leeds United, with Chris Kavanagh (the same VAR official from the Rodri handball) awarding Leeds a late penalty for a supposed handball by James Tarkowski. Tarkowski asked if having his arm by his side was a penalty. The ref told him "no", so he was baffled when it happened.

In the next game, Attwell punished Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for something similar. Yes, the same Attwell who missed the Fernandes handball. Everton didn’t get a penalty at Burnley later that year, even though Jaidon Anthony blocked a shot with his arm in almost the same way.

Back in August, officials ruled that Dewsbury-Hall made his body bigger with his arm. But replays showed he was actually closer to the shot than Anthony had been.

Then came Arsenal. William Saliba floored Barry in the box, but the Premier League Match Centre said it “wasn’t deemed sufficient for a penalty". Yet just two days later, Fulham beat Nottingham Forest thanks to a penalty awarded for a nearly identical incident.

David Moyes said watching the Fulham incident left him “half choking". He added, “It feels like certain clubs get those decisions and others don't; we seem to be on the bad side.”

Just to add insult, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel later voted that Everton should've had a penalty against Arsenal, and VAR should’ve sent the ref to the monitor.

And, after New Year’s, Everton’s Michael Keane got a red card for tugging the hair of Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare. Everton’s appeal failed, and Moyes was furious; he said the technical details made it impossible to get right.

Afterwards, PGMOL chief Howard Webb told Michael Owen on Sky Sports that Keane’s sending off was “the appropriate outcome". He claimed, “If we see it again next week, it will be the same outcome.” But it wasn’t. The next month, Fulham’s Kenny Tete yanked the hair of Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo and escaped any punishment.

It makes you wonder if someone at the Premier League has it in for Everton. Honestly, we’re all left scratching our heads about why.

Steven Gerrard’s name is making the rounds as a possible replacement if Burnley decides to let go of Scott Parker.

Journalist Alan Nixon says the Liverpool icon is one of the options the club is looking at, especially after Burnley’s drop from the Premier League. Gerrard, 45, has been out of a job since he parted ways with Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia back in January 2025. He’s eager to get back on the touchline and, by all accounts, he’d grab the Burnley job if it came his way.

He’s got experience under his belt from managing Rangers and Aston Villa, with mixed results.

Right now, Burnley isn’t saying anything about the rumours.

The club’s board is still weighing Parker’s future after a tough season at the top, and for Burnley, it’s their third straight relegation from the Premier League. They’ve bounced back before, but there’s real pressure now to get it right and shoot for promotion again.

Gerrard isn’t the only name out there. Craig Bellamy, who previously worked alongside Vincent Kompany at Burnley, is also being mentioned. The 46-year-old was in the mix the last time Burnley was looking for a manager, but took the Wales job instead, while Parker filled the vacancy.

Bellamy hasn’t exactly shut the door on a move, but after Wales lost their World Cup play-off against Bosnia, he made it clear he’s pretty passionate about his role. When asked about speculation, Celtic has also been linked with him. He said, “I really enjoy this. We'll talk more after [the Northern Ireland friendly] because my mind is just focused on that right now. But yeah, it’s the best role in the world.”

He doubled down, too: “This is the best. Nothing will ever compare to this job, so why would I want to wish it away?”