Keith Hackett: Tim Iroegbunam ‘fortunate’ after flashpoint in Everton vs Sunderland
Keith Hackett believes that Tim Iroegbunam was lucky to escape a red card for his challenge in Everton‘s defeat against Sunderland.
The Toffees were well below par yet again as they fell to a 3-1 defeat against Sunderland, leaving them winless in their last six Premier League games.
Merlin Rohl gave them a late lead in the first half, but a lack of attacking quality took its toll in the second, with Enzo Le Fee proving to be the difference for the visitors.
David Moyes will be furious with the way his team played yet again, especially with so much on the line.
However, after Iroegbunam’s tackle in the first half, things could have been even worse for the Toffees much earlier.
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Tim Iroegbunam escapes red card vs Sunderland
The first half of the clash certainly didn’t bode well in Everton’s favour, with Sunderland dominating possession.
With that said, neither side were able to showcase any quality in the final third until Merlin Rohl’s deflected effort, with a late challenge from Iroegbunam the biggest talking point up until then.
| First half stats | Everton |
| Possession | 39% |
| Passes completed | 139 |
| xG | 0.38 |
| Goals | 1 |
The Toffees midfielder was very late to a challenge on Reinildo, though he was shown a yellow card, which VAR agreed with.
However, when reviewing the footage, Hackett thinks that he may have gotten away with one.
Speaking exclusively to Goodison News, he said: “This was certainly a borderline incident between reckless (yellow card) or serious foul play (red card).
“He is lucky to survive and stay on the field of play. The referee clearly took into account that the challenge was low.
“However, in those seconds before contact, I detected a slight kicking movement. Rather fortunate not to receive a red card.”
Sunderland clash exposes Everton priority
As they have many times this season, Everton lacked the quality in the final third, but they also lacked the control in the middle of the pitch.
James Garner and Idrissa Gueye have done well to change that, but the lack of options after that pair are poor, and that was showcased against the Black Cats.
If the Toffees are to go one step further next season, that is an area of the squad that will need to be addressed.
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