Henry Winter baffled by ‘bizarre’ thing that happened to Everton star v Brighton
Iliman Ndiaye being booked for his celebration as Everton beat Brighton 1-0 has been labelled “bizarre” by Henry Winter.
The 24-year-old winger scored the only goal of the game on 25 January, slotting home from the penalty spot before adopting a Jamie Vardy-esque celebration in front of the home crowd.
Having antagonised the Amex Stadium crowd, referee Tim Robinson felt the need to caution Ndiaye, a moment which baffled spectators and riled up the opposition fans.
Writing via his Goal Posts blog on Monday [27 January], Winter said: “Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye being booked for imitating a seagull after scoring was not even the most bizarre seagull-related incident during a Brighton game.
“A few years back, a news reporter was despatched to a Millwall-Brighton game to do a piece on claims of right-wing chants. He confirmed he heard ‘Sieg Heil’. On closer listening it turned out to be Brighton fans chanting ‘seagulls’.”
Iliman Ndiaye punishment makes zero sense in Brighton v Everton
As already mentioned, Ndiaye broke out a Vardy-esque celebration at the Amex Stadium after being hounded by the home supporters.
Why shouldn’t he be able to react after remaining calm under pressure to calmly slot home his fifth goal of the Premier League campaign? He has every right to celebrate.
It has been an incredibly difficult campaign for the Toffees so far, still sitting 16th in the league table, with David Moyes trying to undo the harm done by the results under Sean Dyche.
The Seagulls were clearly frustrated by how Moyes set his team up, having scored with their only shot on target while only having 31 per cent of possession [FotMob], but that is not the Toffees’ problem.
Referees have taken a lot of criticism in recent weeks, especially Michael Oliver following his blunder in Arsenal’s win over Wolves, and this situation does them absolutely no favours.
In other Everton news, Kevin Thelwell could be done at Goodison Park after David Moyes was spotted with his potential replacement.
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