Don Hutchison stunned by Everton incident v Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Don Hutchison was left shocked by the decision to hand Chelsea a penalty in their 6-0 win over Everton on 15 April at Stamford Bridge.
The Toffees were already 4-0 down by the time Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke both went down in the box from successive challenges by Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Tarkowski, with the referee pointing to the spot.
After it was clarified that the initial foul from Doucoure on Palmer, which involved far less contact than Tarkowski’s challenge, was the source of the penalty decision, Hutchison posted on X in agreement with another user.
“Omg, that’s never ever a penalty,” he wrote.
Everton punished by Palmer in dismal Chelsea defeat
Everton were losing 4-0 at half-time, with Palmer scoring a first-half hat-trick inside the opening 29 minutes and Nicolas Jackson netting another just before the break.
Hutchison’s frustration at the penalty decision – which saw the referee hesitate for barely a second before pointing to the spot – was likely born out of the fact that his former side had already been taken to the cleaners well before the incident.
Palmer’s three first-half goals came in 29 minutes, not only netting a perfect hat-trick but also the quickest three-goal burst in Chelsea’s Premier League history with Everton all at sea in defence.
Even Jordan Pickford, so often Everton and England’s reliable custodian at the back, would not have his blushes spared, shanking a woeful clearance straight to Palmer for the 21-year-old to seal his treble from long range.
It was a night to forget for Everton, and with three of their last six games this season being against sides currently sat below them in the table, the next few weeks are shaping up to be pivotal for both the on and off-field future of the club.
In other Everton news, Jamie Carragher has branded a recent accounting discovery a “joke” in the wake of points sanctions on the Toffees.
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