The head of referees in England, Mike Riley, has apologized to Everton for the failure of his officials to award a penalty to the Toffees in their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, according to CBS Sports sources.
Referee Paul Tierney and VAR both failed to spot a handball by Manchester City midfielder Rodri in the 85th minute, at a time when Everton were trailing by a solitary goal. A point that they could have earned from the spot against the English champions would have been a huge boost to Frank Lampard’s side as they battle to avoid relegation. The club’s chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale subsequently made a direct complaint to the Premier League, after which Riley made his apology.
It was easy to see why Riley felt compelled to apologize in this incident. There was no differing viewpoint from the mainstream. Rodri had left his right arm hanging out in the penalty area when he could have avoided doing so. A backspinning ball hit it. It was a clear penalty.
Friend should have seen it, though being as he was standing behind the Manchester City midfielder — he had adjusted his run to give him the best angle for the previous event, a shot by Richarlison from a tight angle that Ederson saved — it was conceivable that the referee might miss the handball. It was at this stage that VAR should have ridden to the rescue, as Riley acknowledged. Chris Kavanagh should have instructed Tierney to award the penalty. He did not.
It was easy to see why Lampard was so incandescent. It was, he claimed, “incompetence at best, at worst who knows?” He would have imagined his side drawing level from the spot then clinging on for at least a point, as they had just about been doing for 80 minutes before Phil Foden’s opener. Maybe they might have got even more in this branch reality. Or City’s pressure might have told again.
Still Everton should have had a penalty. They did not get…
Source : cbssports
