Richard Keys ridicules Andy Gray over Brighton v Everton comment
Richard Keys was in complete disagreement with Andy Gray over the awarding of a penalty for Everton against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Iliman Ndiaye converted a penalty that was awarded for a handball against Joel Veltman late on in the first half of Saturday’s (25 January) contest, in which Dominic Calvert-Lewin limped off.
The Premier League swiftly confirmed in a statement that the penalty was awarded for a deliberate handball.
While Gray agreed with that decision while reviewing it on beIN SPORTS’ live coverage [25 January, 3:57pm], Keys argued that Beto shoved Veltman before the Brighton player handled it.
Gray said: “I don’t think that’s a foul [from Beto on Veltman]. The more I see it, the more I can’t see a push.”
Keys interjected with: “I think he’s pushed him over”, to which Gray suggested Veltman still did not have to handle the ball on his way down.
That led Keys to say, while laughing heavily: “Get off. He’s running… what’s he supposed to do with his arm?”
Everton awarded contentious penalty against Brighton
Gray was spot on: The officials were correct to award a penalty to Everton. Beto was stronger than Veltman, who scooped the ball out of his opponent’s path.
It is nice to see the Toffees on the end of a decision like this, and even better than Ndiaye went on to convert the spot-kick to open the scoring at the Amex Stadium.
That makes it two wins on the spin for David Moyes in the space of a week and all of a sudden Everton are looking up the table rather than over their shoulders.
For all the questions over Sean Dyche being sacked and Moyes – from those on the outside, at least – it is turning into an inspired decision.
In other Everton news, Paul Merson hit back at what Tim Sherwood said about the Toffees live on air.
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