Gary Lineker hits out as footage emerges of controversial Everton incident in win v Crystal Palace
Everton “got away with it” when Crystal Palace weren’t awarded a second penalty against them at Selhurst Park on Saturday, according to Gary Lineker.
Sean Dyche’s men continued their fine form with a 3-2 victory in South London but things could have been different if the home side were awarded a spot kick in the first half for a foul by Jarrad Branthwaite on Ebere Eze.
Palace’s attacker has already scored a penalty in the fifth minute and with the scores level at 1-1, he was seemingly brought down by both Branthwaite and Amadou Onana inside the Everton penalty area in the 24th minute.
However, referee Samuel Barrott failed to point to the spot and instead booked Eze, which baffled Lineker and Jermaine Jenas as they thought there was definitely contact made on the Eagles man.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day on Saturday night (11 November), Lineker said: “Eze, he was very impressive again.
“He won one penalty and then there was another penalty decision which Roy Hodgson referred to there, saying, ‘he’s definitely not a cheat’. Ooh, they got away with it a bit, Everton, do you think?”
Jenas replied: “I agree with Roy, to be honest with you. I think there’s contact here.
“I’m always of the opinion that when defenders go flying in like this, if they make contact, the penalty should be given.
“I think Braithwaite goes diving in. I think Onana catches him as well.
“There’s enough contact there for Eze to go down.
“If the ref doesn’t give this, which he doesn’t, I haven’t got any qualms with it.”
Lineker said: “They’re not going to turn it over. If they had given it, they would have stuck with that as well.”
Jenas continued: “I just don’t think he dives so Roy was right to say what he said.”
Close call
It was a close one.
Yes, there was contact but was it enough contact to call it a foul because not every time you touch a player calls for a penalty or free-kick to be given.
Eze didn’t dive though.
Branthwaite and Onana both seemed to bring him down but the touches were faint and it was a marginal call.
We would have been screaming for a penalty ourselves if that had happened at the other end of the pitch and Dyche would have been irate if one of his players had been booked for it.
But it doesn’t matter at the end of the day because Everton won – again – and are starting to look like they could really stay in the Premier League this season even if they’re whacked with a massive points deduction.
As it stands, the Toffees are in 14th place with three wins in five Premier League games.
Eight points already separate them from the bottom three, which is only occupied by teams who came up from the Championship last season.
It looks like all three relegation spots could be confirmed by February or March as long as Everton don’t get a ridiculous points deduction for financial breaches.
In other Everton news, a Sky Sports pundit was baffled by what an Everton star did against Crystal Palace.