Taiwo Awoniyi was at the centre of Friday night’s biggest talking point as Coventry City’s 3-1 defeat at Everton was overshadowed by a penalty row. The Taiwo Awoniyi penalty appeal — a foul by Vitalii Mykolenko as the striker drove into the box early in the second half — was waved away by referee Stuart Attwell and then dismissed by VAR, leaving Frank Lampard furious and the promoted Sky Blues empty-handed at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The incident arrived in the 49th minute, with the game still goalless. Awoniyi burst through towards the Everton penalty area and went down under Mykolenko’s challenge from behind. Attwell immediately signalled play on, and although VAR Timothy Wood reviewed the coming-together, the officials decided the contact had taken place just outside the box. Coventry’s players surrounded the referee, but the decision stood — and within three minutes, the game had turned against them.
Barry brace turns the game Everton’s way
Yann Gboho gave the visitors a deserved lead in the 52nd minute, poking home his first Coventry goal after weaving through three Everton defenders. The advantage lasted only four minutes. Thierno Barry headed home Mykolenko’s cross in the 56th minute and then bundled in a second from close range in the 61st, taking his tally to 10 goals for the season — although Coventry were convinced the ball had struck the Frenchman’s hand.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall sealed the comeback in the 81st minute, blasting home after Barry turned provider, in the perfect response to his England omission earlier in the week. The win — Everton’s third in a row — lifted David Moyes’ side into fifth place, and it came in the manager’s 592nd match in charge of the club, equalling the record set by Harry Catterick.
Lampard: ‘VAR didn’t do its job’
Lampard, though, could not hide his anger afterwards, insisting three key decisions had gone against his side. “VAR didn’t do its job, it went against us today,” the Coventry boss told Sky Sports. On the Taiwo Awoniyi penalty incident, he was blunt: “I thought the one on Taiwo running through — it’s a clear foul that the referee doesn’t give in-game. But as I see it, Taiwo’s foot is entering the box and his knee and the back of his knee is on the line of the box, which is a penalty.”
Lampard went further, calling the call “rubbish from the VAR” and “a poor decision”, and he found an ally in the Sky Sports studio. Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp agreed the spot-kick should have stood: “Awoniyi puts his right foot across and then Mykolenko just gets him. It’s on the line. It’s a definite foul.”
The Taiwo Awoniyi penalty flashpoint was not the only one. In the first half, Everton captain James Tarkowski escaped punishment after appearing to pull the hair of Coventry midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi while challenging for a high ball, and Barry’s second goal survived a VAR check for handball. All three incidents were reviewed by Wood and fellow official Gary Beswick, and all three went Everton’s way.
Why the Taiwo Awoniyi penalty row matters for the Super Eagles
Beyond the result, the night carried a wider significance for Nigeria. Awoniyi, who joined Coventry from Nottingham Forest in August for a reported £9 million, has already opened his account for the Sky Blues — in the 3-1 win over Sunderland — and he lasted 87 minutes at Everton before making way for Sidiki Cherif. With Victor Osimhen facing knee surgery and set to miss the Tanzania AFCON qualifiers, Eric Chelle will be watching the striker’s form and fitness closely; Awoniyi was already called up to replace Osimhen in the Super Eagles squad in September.
It has been a difficult week for Nigerian football, with Osimhen and Ademola Lookman also left off the shortlist for the CAF Awards Player of the Year. For Coventry, the focus now turns to the international break: Lampard’s side sit 16th, two points above the relegation zone, after three defeats in their last four games. Fans can also check today’s football predictions ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.
Photo: Timmy96 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — collage by SportsBuddy.
