O’Hara calls out Everton player to his face over Chelsea incident comment
Everton were beaten 1-0 at Chelsea, but it could have been a different outcome had a penalty shout gone their way in the first half.
Nicolas Jackson scored the only goal of the game from outside the box, and Everton could not break Chelsea down over the 90 minutes.
However, Everton had a penalty claim in the 38th minute as goalkeeper Robert Sanchez clattered into Vitaliy Mykolenko when going to catch the ball.
No penalty was awarded, and pundit Jamie O’Hara has now slammed the incident, claiming that the Toffees should have been awarded a spot-kick.
O’Hara calls out Asmir Begovic over Chelsea incident
Everton backup goalkeeper Asmir Begovic also used to play for Chelsea, and he refused to state whether he thought Mykolenko should have been awarded a penalty.
Begovic was asked whether he thought the incident was a penalty, but he refused to answer either way, and former Spurs midfielder O’Hara stepped in.
| Asmir Begovic | All competitions |
| Games started | 0 |
| Unused substitute | 20 |
“It’s a penalty,” O’Hara stated on Sky Sports News (12.23 pm, 27 April).
“Come on. I know [Begovic is] a goalkeeper, but come on. He’s got to be politically correct because he was on the bench, the goalkeeper’s union and all that. But he’s flattened him.”
Begovic was an unused substitute against Chelsea, but he remained professional as he refused to give a verdict on the decision.
Everton deserved a penalty against Chelsea
David Moyes has every right to feel outraged over the non-penalty, as Sanchez had indeed fouled Mykolenko.
The Spaniard’s hands went into the defender’s face, and both players required treatment after the collision.
A foul was actually given in Sanchez’s favour, much to the annoyance of Everton fans in attendance, and these fine margins eventually led to their defeat.
Everton defended well for the most part in the game, and had they equalised before half time, they could have held on for a point or even more.
The result meant that Everton remained in 15th in the Premier League, but having avoided relegation, they will now look forward to their final few games at Goodison Park before moving stadium next season.