Sky Sports pundit fears Everton get unequal treatment after latest controversial Liverpool clash
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Kevin Campbell was left wondering if everything was going against Everton after another controversial Merseyside derby went by with officiating complaints.
Frank Lampard ended up getting fined last season for speaking out after the trip to Anfield on 24 April that saw a number of key decisions go in favour of the home side, and the next meeting of the two rivals ended 0-0 on Saturday (3 September) with a Toffees goal ruled out, and Liverpool escaping both a possible red card and penalty.
While praising the action both teams provided in an excellent game, Sky Sports pundit Campbell has questions again after seeing Everton on the receiving end of multiple rough decisions once again.
Laughing at the ridiculous explanations being offered up he exclusively told Goodison News: “Well. Listen, I’ve done all the checks and I’ve heard Dermot Gallagher on Sky – ‘He’s not gone to play the ball, he’s gone to block it.’ Well trying to block the ball is trying to play it isn’t it?
“The interpretation and blah blah blah, again Everton are on the end of a decision that on another day might go in their favour.
“Because if James Milner gets a touch then maybe that renders Conor Coady onside, because it comes off the defender.
“At the end of the day they’ve given offside. Everton are on the end of another decision, although when you’re doing the lines and he looks offside and stuff, fair enough he’s offside or whatever.
“But when you start breaking things down sometimes you start to feel, is everything going against Everton here?
“You know, you’ve got the [Virgil van Dijk] tackle, and then you’ve got James Milner does get a touch, and then there’s that ghost handball, and all stuff like that.
“Maybe it just wasn’t Everton’s day, and Jordan Pickford and Alisson were outstanding. It was destined to be a 0-0 for whatever reason wasn’t it?
“But what a great spectacle for the fans watching. Brilliant.”
The explanation from the PGMOL and Dermot Gallagher as to why Coady’s goal was ruled out makes little sense and doesn’t help a situation that has run from last season of big decisions repeatedly going against the Toffees.
It was a poor weekend across the league for officiating, both on the pitch and on video review, but even by those standards it seemed like Everton were getting a particularly rough deal.
As it was, the game was so good it would have been tough on either side to lose, but fans desperate to land their first win of the season over their bitter rivals won’t have cared about that and many will have had to laugh in order not to cry as they came away from another match wondering how certain decisions have been made.