Everton suffered a potentially calamitous 3-2 defeat to Brentford at Goodison Park yesterday as the officials once again played a huge part in the outcome of a Toffees’ match.
All that was needed yesterday was for Everton to win and they would have secured their Premier League status for another year. Instead it blew up with basically everything possibly going wrong (typical Everton) and now there are just two games left for the club to do so.
The Toffees’ started superbly and got an early lead through Dominic Calvert-Lewin but then in just a few moments everything in the match and potentially the season itself, changed for the worst.
First a perfectly reasonable shout for a penalty for a clear shirt tug on Richarlison in the box was waved away by the referee Micheal Oliver and then down the other end after Brentford broke away, Jarrad Branthwaite as the last man made a foul and was shown a straight red card.
The Bees drew level but despite going back into the lead with a penalty that was given (although Oliver rubbed salt into the wounds by not giving a second yellow) Everton never really recovered with substitute Salomon Rondon getting sent off as well late on to cap off a terrible afternoon.
I think everyone knows that had the Blues’ got that first penalty and scored it then it would have been a comfortable win for the home side.
As it was playing three-quarters of the match with just ten men told and the Toffees’ went into their shell in the second half conceding possession and momentum as they had in the fixture in London.
Let’s be clear about it if the Blues’ do go down at the end of this campaign (something that is an even more real possibility after yesterday) then the blame will of course ultimately lie with the club’s ownership, manager and player failings, season after season, not anyone else.
However, Premier League officials have done their level best to undermine the Toffees’ hopes of saving this season and avoiding relegation.
We’ve seen this situation many times this season with referees making bizarre and ridiculous decisions and I am sick and tired of incompetent and seemingly biased officials disasterously intervening and altering games with their absurd decison-making.
It seems like they are trying to create a contrived theatre each week and sustain the artificial drama in this horrible relegation battle for another week at least.
Three key examples of terrible decisions were the Southampton game away, most notoriously Manchester City at Goodison and now yesterday’s fixture.
All of these matches saw penalties not given which I think should have been, decisions that might have helped change momentum and the season’s outcome.
I sometimes think I wouldn’t even mind the team ending up playing Championship football if that means the Toffees’ get away from the awful officiating in the Premier League.
I fear this loss will potentially have a really adverse impact on the team psychologically and might seriously deflate them going into the last two games. I sincerely hope I’m wrong.
Now, Everton simply have to win agianst Crystal Palace on Thursday so they don’t have to rely on getting something away at Arsenal on the last day. Can they do it..?