Everton caught in Premier League first this season after new controversy
Everton secured a hard-fought 3-1 win against Fulham on Saturday, but it wasn’t without its controversy.
The Toffees travelled to the capital on 10 May and secured a first win in three thanks to goals from Vitaliy Mykolenko, Michael Keane and Beto.
This brought David Moyes’ side back on the winning trail to move into the final two games of the Premier League campaign.
As positive as this was for the Merseyside outfit, the result could have been different as Dermot Gallagher reviews the main moment of controversy at Craven Cottage.
Gallagher reacts to Everton penalty decision v Fulham
There is no doubt that the L4 club were good value for their win against Marco Silva’s side after two quick-fire goals in the second half.
Beto’s strike and Bernd Leno’s error ultimately made the difference on the day to allow the Toffees to see out a 3-1 result in West London.
The lead could have been cut in half deep into second half stoppage time as Adama Traore appealed for a penalty for a Mykolenko handball.
The Spanish winger chipped the ball off the Ukraine international’s hand, and although it was away from his body, the proximity was too small to avoid it.
As a result, it was little surprise to see referee Darren England turn down appeals before denying the decision despite a recommended VAR review at the monitor.
Speaking on Sky Sports News (12 May), former official Gallagher fully agreed with the 39-year-old and was pleased to see him stick by his own decision.
He said: “If you look at it, Mykolenko’s in a running motion and he brings his arm down.
“It does strike him, but he makes no effort to block the cross or touch the ball. I don’t know what else he’s meant to do. It’s the first time this season the referee’s stuck to his on-field decision, and I applaud him.”
England gets it right in Fulham v Everton
In today’s day and age, there is no guarantee that refereeing decisions are going to go in your favour, no matter what happens.
In this example, it is fair to say that England was spot on in his verdict, as Mykolenko was not at fault, as Traore hit the ball in his direction.
This allowed the Toffees to secure the result they deserved on the day, where they had plenty of chances and didn’t warrant decisions going against them.
| Stat | Fulham | Everton |
| Possession | 64 | 36 |
| Shots | 6 | 7 |
| Big chances | 1 | 3 |
| Corners | 5 | 5 |
With Beto getting on the scoresheet after being linked to Leeds United this week, positivity is high ahead of the final two games of the season.