Murphy blasts ‘really bad’ controversial incident in Everton draw v Arsenal
Everton had a little luck in their latest Premier League outing against Arsenal in the Premier League.
David Moyes’ side bounced back from defeat in the Merseyside derby in midweek by helping their local rivals’ hunt for the Premier League when they held the Gunners to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday (5 April).
Arsenal took the lead in the 34th minute through Leandro Trossard, but Iliman Ndiaye levelled the scoring in the 49th minute from the penalty spot.
Mikel Arteta’s men were then unable to respond to the Toffees drawing level, as their Premier League title aspirations turned to shatters.
However, it continued Moyes’ impressive run at Goodison Park since making his sensational return to the club as he continues to guide Everton away from the bottom three.
The Toffees have now moved up to 14th in the Premier League table ahead of West Ham and Tottenham, and sit just four points behind another of Moyes’ former clubs, Man United.
Everton’s goal came from a controversial call
The result was one that pleased everyone in Merseyside on Saturday, but the decision to award Everton a penalty was a controversial one that left many pundits and fans up in arms across the country.
England international Myles Lewis-Skelly got into a tussle with Jack Harrison inside the box at the start of the second half as the Everton winger hit the deck.
| Match Stats | Everton | Arsenal |
| Possession | 29% | 71% |
| Total Shots | 2 | 5 |
| Fouls | 17 | 13 |
| Passes | 189 | 459 |
However, upon closer examination, it was clear that the contact was minimal, which left Danny Murphy baffled as he analysed the situation on Match of the Day (5 April).
He said, “It was a weird one for me because part of my Liverpool bias thinks, ‘Please give the penalty,’ but actually it’s a really bad decision.
“It’s never a penalty to me, they’re giving it both, they’re both tugging and pulling each other and we will see on these replays that it’s a big soft.”
Jack Harrison’s Everton future is unclear
Harrison made a key difference for Everton against Arsenal, whether people agreed with the foul or not, but his long-term future at the Merseyside giants is unclear at the moment.
The 28-year-old is on loan at Goodison Park from Leeds United, with this being the second season in a row he’s spent with the Toffees.
However, it has been a disappointing second spell for him, and Harrison himself has admitted his frustrations over how the campaign has gone personally.
The winger has expressed a desire to remain at Everton moving forward, but with Moyes believed to be wanting a younger, more dynamic team, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him move back to Elland Road in the summer.