Sam Stone

Thu 20 October 2022 13:40, UK

Match of the Day pundits Micah Richards and Ashley Williams feel Tony Harrington made the correct decision by not awarding Everton a penalty in their defeat to Newcastle.

Anthony Gordon went down softly under a challenge by Dan Burn after breaking into the Newcastle box. The 21-year-old’s antics angered the Magpies’ players, who felt he was looking for a penalty.

Both Williams and Richards suggest the official got the decision right despite those types of decisions being given before.

Williams said on Match of the Day on Wednesday night (41:16, 19 October): “No not for me, I don’t think there’s enough contact really, I can see what Frank Lampard is saying and I wouldn’t go as far to say Anthony Gordon has dived, there’s a little bit of contact but not enough for a penalty in my opinion.

Richards responded: “It’s probably the right decision but we’ve seen them given before, sometimes when you’re running at that pace it only takes a nudge to get you off your stride.”

Bang on

It’s a decision that can go both ways and will continue to go both ways until the standard of officiating in the Premier League and the whole of English football improves dramatically. There was contact, but it was clear Gordon was looking to initiate the coming together in order to win his side a penalty.

The introduction of VAR has meant these ‘softer’ penalty decisions are being made more regularly and with a different official, the Toffees could well have been awarded one. From Everton’s perspective, they must do more in an attacking sense in their upcoming matches.

No shots on target in their last two Premier League fixtures paints a sorry picture for Frank Lampard’s side. He can complain all he likes about not being awarded a spot-kick at St James’ Park, but the stark reality is that they were nowhere near deserving of three points against Eddie Howe’s side.

Their next three fixtures against Crystal Palace, Fulham and Leicester could well be season-defining for Everton