Dermot Gallagher shot down as he reacts to Everton v Brighton controversy
Dermot Gallagher was shot down by Sue Smith when reviewing the penalty incident in the Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion match on Saturday [17 August].
Simon Hooper awarded a penalty after Lewis Dunk seemingly fouled Dominic Calvert-Lewin with the Blues trailing by a goal, only for the lifeline to be wiped clean after VAR officials Darren England and Sian Massey-Ellis overturned the decision.
Gallagher and Smith disagreed with their verdict on Ref Watch [Sky Sports, 19 August, 11:24], with the latter saying it was a penalty, whereas ex-Premier League official Gallagher believes the decision was right to be overturned.
He said: “I thought it was a really good intervention by the VAR because Dominic Calvert-Lewin stands on Dunk’s foot.
“That’s what knocks him off balance. I don’t think it’s a foul and the VAR quite rightly alerts the referee. When I saw that I didn’t think it was a penalty, and that’s what you want the VAR for.”
Smith responded: “As Dunk goes down, he goes into Calvert-Lewin’s space. Calvert-Lewin’s trying to turn and shoot and he treads on Dunk.
“It impedes him being able to take a shot. Dunk going down early stops Calvert-Lewin being able to take a shot. I don’t think this should have been overturned.”
Should Everton have been awarded a penalty v Brighton?
Everton supporters have already had enough of the Premier League as it took just 47 minutes of football for the club to be on the wrong end of a controversial decision.
Goodison Park began to empty heading towards the final whistle as the beginning of the last season at their home ground ended in humiliating fashion.
The Blues deservedly lost the match and were comfortably beaten by a Brighton side with more desire to win the game, and they never truly looked like troubling their opponents.
But Sean Dyche and his side have every right to feel hard done by. Once again, they were on the wrong end of a contentious call that could have gone either way – as Smith and Gallagher have highlighted.
Had the Blues converted the spot-kick, the score would have been level and kicked a deflated Goodison Park into life and swung the momentum in their favour.
There is no use wallowing in self-pity. The Toffees have to move on and turn their attention to Tottenham on Saturday [24 August] and work on integrating the new signings into the side.
Dyche is building something at Everton and there is plenty of optimism to lift even the most pessimistic of fans at the club. The Brighton result is far from ideal but it is also not the end of the world with still so much football left to play this season.
In other Everton news, the Blues have been told relegation is a real possibility unless Dominic Calvert-Lewin is sold.
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