Everton defender Ashley Young [Credit: Imago]
Everton defender Ashley Young [Credit: Imago]
Match

Ashley Young incident before Everton pens loss v Southampton stuns Sky Sports host, 'Wow'

Harri Burton
Harri Burton

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

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Julian Warren was astonished as the experienced Ashley Young nearly conceded a penalty in the final moments of Everton versus Southampton on Tuesday (17 September).

The Toffees' EFL Cup clash against Southampton would eventually end in heartbreak at Goodison Park, with a 1-1 draw in normal time won by the Saints on penalties.

Russell Martin's Southampton side could have had the chance to claim victory as Young - who missed the decisive spot-kick - stuck out a leg in the dying embers, lucky not to give away a foul in the box.

Reacting to the moment via Sky Sports News [17 September, 9:30pm], Glenn Murray said: "Ashley Young, for an experienced player, dangles his leg here."

Warren responded: "Wow. He's a lucky boy".

Ashley Young disappoints in Everton v Southampton

Given the response he received from the Goodison Park faithful when being substituted on, it is really no surprise to see Young at the centre of criticism again.

The 39-year-old replaced Beto with 30 minutes remaining, which was greeted by the fans showing exactly how they felt about the decision [Shamoon Hafez], and his fortunes could have been much worse come full-time.

Luckily, the Toffees escaped giving away a spot-kick before the dreaded penalty shoot-out, but Young missed from 12 yards anyway to gift the Saints the win.

Despite another loss for Sean Dyche's side, he may be counting his lucky stars that the Premier League can be his main focus now. It certainly needs to be.

The EFL Cup is the least of Dyche's worries right now, with the Merseyside club sitting bottom of the league table, claiming zero points from their opening four matches in an era-defining season.

The Toffees are set to move to Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, and they definitely cannot afford to be playing Championship football next term.

In other Everton news, Alan Myers responded to the recent Dan Friedkin takeover twist, "I can't say".

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Southampton
Ashley Young
Julian Warren
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