FA CUP: Crystal Palace, Everton Draw Blank As Dominic Calvert-Lewin Sees Red

There were no goals as Crystal Palace and Everton met in the third round of the FA Cup at Selhurst Park. A replay will be held at Goodison Park after neither team found a breakthrough in Thursday night’s third-round tie. The Toffees had Dominic Calvert-Lewin sent off for a sliding challenge following a VAR review in the second half and lost Dwight McNeil to injury.

Crystal Palace and fellow Premier League side Everton will have it all to do again in the FA Cup after a goalless third-round draw was played out at Selhurst Park.

VAR was again the centre of attention, intervening before the sending off of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, for what looked a fair challenge on Nathaniel Clyne.

Everton, though, held out against a disappointing Palace, and the two sides will now replay at Goodison the week after next.

‘VAR beginning to test my patience’ – Dyche left frustrated after Calvert-Lewin red’VAR beginning to test my patience’ – Dyche left frustrated after Calvert-Lewin red

The first half was a dull affair with neither side threatening or looking likely to score. Both, though, upped the tempo in the second half, though their combined lack of quality on the night made a positive result look unlikely.

Thus, at 76 minutes, came the game’s major event, Calvert-Lewin sliding in and appearing to win the ball while engaging in a committed challenge with Clyne – whom he barely touched. Referee Chris Kavanagh allowed it to go but when called to the screen by the video officials, he showed a red card – which comes with a matching three-game ban.

Sean Dyche’s evening did not improve when the unfortunate Dwight McNeil departed with what looked like a serious ankle injury. But his team held out well and might’ve won the game when James Garner fired over the bar late on.

A draw though, was a fair result because neither side did enough to win, nor both will be happy enough to remain in the competition.

No one fell in love with football because of the accuracy of its decision-making process. As such, the decision to try and improve the accuracy of those made by referees, from 90-something to 90-something else, interrupting its flow and the experience of watching it live, completely misses its point. Football is less fun and less goodFeatured because of VAR.

As a consequence of a decision made by people away from the feel of the game – and what is football if not a feeling? – overrides what those who feel the game know is part of it. Calvert-Lewin’s tackle was not dangerous, was perhaps not even a foul, and yet he must now miss three further games? Who can be so confident of their judgment in a situation such as that as to advise the man who could feel it – the referee – that they felt that situation better than he did?

Sadly, the genie is out of the bottle. All the raging at refereeing decisions, all the claimed conspiracies, all the deflection and misdirection – that led us here, along with a culture of witch-hunts and clicks. And yet still football is fun and good, so.

*Eurosport