Everton 0 Man City 1: Toffees robbed of deserved penalty

Everton were denied a clear penalty tonight as the Blues eventually succumbed to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Manchester City, despite a battling effort at Goodison Park.

Rodri’s clear-cut handball should have led to a penalty for Everton, which had it been scored, would have given the Toffees’ a well-deserved point. That point could prove crucial in whether the club stay up or not.

It’s a disgrace when this sort of blatantly wrong decision is allowed to stand and of course this is far from the first time the Blues’ have been on the wrong end of such VAR-based outcomes.

Just last week Everton had a very good shout for a penalty at Southampton and again surprise, surprise, were unable to secure a favourable decision from the officials.

I’m tired of the amount of bad luck this football club has to endure. Endless injuries are one thing, and again today another one disrupted Frank Lampard’s preparations for the game with Dominic Calvert-Lewin being ruled out late on, but this sort of situation is almost beyond endurance.

Almost any other team on any other ground would have got that decision and you can also guarantee that if an Everton player had committed Rodri’s handball, it would certainly have been given.

Anyway, I suppose we have to get back to reviewing the actual football itself.

The Blues’ produced a fine performance against the champions, especially in the first half when I think the home team shaded it and could, maybe should, have even been a goal up.

Everton started very well and created several half chances and with that bit more luck and perhaps composure, might have scored.

Alex Iwobi, Richarlison and Anthony Gordon had opportunities and with the Toffees’ players working hard and maintaining a strong shape, City were struggling to secure easy possession and build their usual wave after wave of attacks.

The home team were resolute and battled well closing down City’s players and pressing successfully higher up the pitch as well.

Richarlison led the line well enough and put in his usual committed performance while both Iwobi and Gordon were energetically up and down on the flanks.

In midfield Abdoulaye Doucoure was back and played well while Allan was outstanding working very hard, thowing himself into tackles and showing tremendous commitment.

At the back the Blues’ defended solidly overall and Jordon Pickford was at his best and most reliable. The England keeper produced several outstanding stops in the game too, including a brilliant double save when Kevin de Bruyne looked certain to score.

Then, after halftime City began to take control as Everton’s players inevitably tired after a really hard-working first forty-five minutes.

City now started creating some good chances and Phil Foden was at the heart of most of the good attacking work they were doing. He was superb and so difficult to defend against.

Once again though as so often this campaign the Toffees’ were undone by an individual error as Michael Keane couldn’t clear a ball into the box and Foden rounded Pickford to score. Then came the hugely controversial moment at the other end and that was it, game over.

Based on this performance Everton do appear to have enough quality and will to survive. However, we’ve seen this sort of thing many times before at Goodison Park, albeit against weaker opposition, and then seen the same set of players fail abysmally away from home.

But, you also can’t help feeling after tonight’s events that if the Blues’ are on the end of many more of these blatantly wrong decisions (which can go such a long way to deciding football matches) then no matter how well they play it might not be enough.