Premier League ‘to punish Jake O’Brien’ after Everton controversy v Man United
Jake O’Brien may face punishment from the Premier League after comments he made following Everton’s 2-2 draw with Man United.
Despite taking a two-goal lead, Everton were forced to settle for a point in their home encounter with United, with the Red Devils forging a late comeback.
Everton were far and away the better team in the game, with Man United slammed by many for their performance that somehow earned them a point.
However, the comeback wasn’t entirely their own doing, with the Toffees denied a penalty in the dying seconds of the game despite the on-field referee awarding it, leading to plenty of Everton fume.
O’Brien risks Premier League punishment after Man United controversy
The decision against the penalty for Everton shocked almost everyone watching the game, with O’Brien evidently not happy with how the game was officiated.
In quotes reported by BBC Sport, the Toffees defender said: “He’s [the referee] got decisions wrong, not just the penalty but many that didn’t go our way and could have changed the game.”
| Everton v Man United stats (FotMob) | Goals | Big chances | xG | Possession | Passes (Accuracy) |
| Everton | 2 | 4 | 1.91 | 38% | 231 (74%) |
| Man United | 2 | 1 | 0.41 | 62% | 456 (86%) |
While his words seem fairly innocuous and in all honesty, very warranted, the Premier League will likely put a very different spin on his comments.
With O’Brien publicly criticising the officials, there is every chance that he may face some form of punishment by those in charge, although if anything, it is only likely to be a fine.
Everton will have every right to feel hard done by and if a punishment is to come their way, it’s about time the Premier League got their priorities straight and addressed the growing concerns about English officiating.
Everton on course for Premier League safety
While the Toffees will feel as though they should have secured all three points against the Red Devils, a point is still a good outcome and moves them further away from any threat of relegation.
The turnaround under David Moyes has been remarkable and with the necessary amount of investment in the summer, who knows where this Everton team could go.
For now, the focus will be on picking up as many points as possible and ensuring they have a strong end to the campaign.