Premier League panel backs Man City handball call 3-2 in Sunderland thriller, one day after 115-charge verdict

A Premier League Key Match Incidents panel has endorsed referee Rob Jones’s decision not to award a penalty against Manchester City midfielder Elliot Anderson during City’s 5-3 win over Sunderland, backing the original call by a 3-2 majority vote.

The incident occurred in a breathless second half when the ball struck Anderson’s hand as he competed with Enzo Le Fee inside the City penalty area. Sunderland were left furious after Jones turned away their protests and VAR Michael Salisbury declined to intervene from Stockley Park, prompting an angry response from Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris.

The five-person panel — comprising three former players and coaches, a Premier League representative, and one from Pro Ref — ultimately sided with the officials. The panel’s findings stated: “The referee’s call of no penalty for a potential handball offence against Anderson was supported, 3:2. Both players were engaged and the ball was bouncing at close proximity after deflecting off Le Fee.”

However, the decision was far from unanimous. Two panellists concluded that Anderson had made a deliberate secondary movement of his arm toward the ball, which they considered a handball offence. On the separate question of VAR’s non-intervention, the panel voted four to one that Salisbury was correct not to step in.

The ruling lands less than 24 hours after the Premier League confirmed that Manchester City had been found guilty of almost all of the 115 financial charges brought against them. City have denied any wrongdoing and vowed to appeal that verdict.

The panel also addressed a separate incident from Everton’s 1-0 win over Ipswich at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, where a Thierno Barry header was disallowed after VAR advised referee Stuart Attwell that Brennan Johnson was offside in front of goalkeeper Christian Walton. That decision was supported 3-2, with two panellists arguing that Johnson’s position and movement did not sufficiently impact Walton’s ability to react to the ball.