Chris Sutton fumes at ‘pivotal’ moment in Everton defeat v Liverpool
Chris Sutton has expressed his frustration at the inconsistency of referees after Craig Pawson failed to send Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate off against Everton.
The former Chelsea striker claimed that, if not for the decision, Everton had a chance to get something out of the game as they remained in with a chance of a positive result.
Sutton also praised Jurgen Klopp for his immediate reaction of taking Konate off, recognising that he should have been sent off, with Sutton claiming he had “got away with one.”
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast [23 October], Sutton shared: “It was a pivotal moment. Klopp was smart as anything, wasn’t he? He was onto it, he knew he’d got away with one.
“Once again we’re back into the consistency, or the inconsistency debate of refereeing. I think Liverpool did get away with one there because Everton could’ve sneaked it.
“Everton were really wronged. You’re probably going to say to me that Everton weren’t going to win the game or score a goal anyway but I think they were in with a chance.
“They were resilient, they dug in and you just never know. Liverpool did get away with one there.”
Inconsistency is the word
The consistency of the refereeing in the Premier League is the biggest issue of all. We talk about the handball rules and the offsides as well as everything else, but ultimately the frustration around these decisions comes down to the fact that one week they will be given by one referee, and the next they won’t by another.
There shouldn’t have to be a conversation every week about whether a referee should have done something differently, but there is that need because they continue to get things wrong, and if the general public can see that then why can’t the referees?
Pawson’s decision was a poor one, it was wrong and like Sutton says it could have cost Everton the game, it will be spoken about and challenged and next week someone else will make another mistake and the conversation will move there.
The inconsistency of refereeing decisions needs to be ironed out, and the decisions need to get better because it’s having a direct effect on the league.
In other Everton news, John Aldridge has mooted a move to Liverpool for one Everton star.