James Murray

Sat 23 December 2023 18:10, UK

Mike Dean was stunned live on air by a controversial incident in the Everton game against Tottenham on Saturday (23 December).

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday (04:14pm), the former Premier League referee said there was “minimal contact” from midfielder Andre Gomes as he was adjudged to have fouled Spurs defender Emerson Royal before Dominic Calvert-Lewin went through on goal and scored.

After Stuart Attwell overturned his on-field decision following a VAR review, Dean added that it was a “very soft” foul to give as the Toffees went on to lose 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“I mean, it’s a small contact,” said Dean. “But not enough to overturn it. It’s a minimal contact and I think they’ve obviously recommended Stuart to come over and have a look.

“Stuart could’ve stuck with his on-field decision, the assistant referee has got a really good view I’m guessing. He would’ve said ‘no foul, no foul’. I think, for me, it’s very soft.”

Not good enough

This was yet another huge error by the officials following a VAR review as there seemed to be very little wrong with the challenge by Gomes and it says quite a lot that Dean strongly disagreed with the decision.

The Portuguese midfielder just showed more strength than the Tottenham defender and that’s clearly how Attwell originally felt about it before going on to change his mind.

Calvert-Lewin showed great composure to drill the ball across the keeper and into the back of the net as he thought he’d made it 2-1 just minutes into the second half.

Whether or not that would’ve spurred the Toffees on to go and claim a result from the game is anyone’s guess, but these high-profile mistakes can’t continue at Premier League level.

While the Blues have a reasonable gap between themselves and the teams in the relegation zone, these decisions could have a major impact come the end of the season.

In other Everton news, a Premier League update has emerged in the 777 Partners takeover bid.