Keith Hackett: Everton and Richarlison deserved penalty, would have seen Jarrad Branthwaite stay on pitch v Brentford
We’re delighted to welcome former Premier League referee Keith Hackett as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Everton...
Keith Hackett has insisted that Richarlison should have been handed another penalty as Everton crashed to a 3-2 defeat against Brentford on Sunday [15 May].
The ex-FIFA official also admitted that Jarrad Branthwaite deserved to be sent off, but it shouldn’t have counted as Kris Ajer’s clear pull on Richarlison’s shirt should have been penalised seconds beforehand.
VAR agreed with Michael Oliver’s decision in the end, leading to Hackett reminding officials that this is football, not rugby after the controversy.
“I think that the holding almost ripping the shirt of Richarlison if that’s not an offence, then what are we about,” he exclusively told Goodison News.
“This is football, not rugby. This is a clear shirt pull, and the excuse that he was holding the shirt as well, ultimately, Richarlison is not the easiest of players to referee, but he should have had a penalty kick.
“Oliver at the time says no, that was a penalty for Everton – It then results in a very clear red card. So, that red card on its own without the Richarlison incident is a clear red card, but it shouldn’t have been because the game should have come back.
“What was VAR doing?”
Shocker.
We still cannot believe that this wasn’t penalised at the time.
Everyone knows that slight shirt pulls happen at nearly every altercation in football, but Ajer literally nearly rips the shirt off Richarlison’s back in this instance.
Even if Oliver did miss it so couldn’t be 100% sure, Hackett is spot on to point out that VAR should have been intervening only a matter of minutes later.
Instead, Branthwaite was sent off and the game was handed out for Brentford to take full control of when in theory, they should have been 2-0 down.
This is just the latest of a long line of huge Premier League errors against the Toffees, let’s hope it doesn’t happen again in these final two games.
In other Everton news, Simon Jordan has shared a potential catastrophe waiting to happen at Goodison Park this season
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