Matthew Shaw

Tue 24 May 2022 20:10, UK

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 it was the right call to penalise Alex Iwobi as Everton crashed to defeat against Arsenal on the final day of the Premier League.

The ex-FIFA official admitted that it is crucial that referees make sure that contact is below the level of the underside of the armpit with the handball law ever changing.

Iwobi was therefore penalised and it saw Gabriel Martinelli step up to bury the penalty on what was a sorry day for the Toffees that summed up the season.

“Why did he do it?,” he exclusively told Goodison News.

“I think that their season has been epitomised by what they have done in this past week. I think what you do is look at those and it’s a judgement call.

“Is it an action that makes the body larger? In that sense, he’s got to make certain that the ball, when it strikes, is below the level of the underside of the armpit.”

Relief.

Crashing to this defeat at Arsenal made us all breathe a huge sigh of relief over the three points that were picked up against Crystal Palace to secure safety only days beforehand.

The Toffees would have been staring relegation in the face without that win, especially given that Leeds went to Brentford and took all three points on the final day.

Going down in a game where VAR intervened against us would have been typical too.

The technology was nowhere near that on point when Rodri started playing basketball in the Manchester City showdown earlier in the season.

Hopefully, this pre-season is used to educate the officials more, it may be needed.

In other Everton news, a football finance expert has made a claim on the new Toffees stadium amid a major £300m development in the recent weeks.

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