‘Astonished’ ex-Liverpool man agrees with Sean Dyche over controversial Newcastle United decision

The Toffees thought they should have been awarded a penalty by Craig Pawson following a coming together between Dan Burn and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the box. Despite replays showing that it was in fact the Everton man who had kicked his opponent, rather than the other way around, the incident has caused huge debate.

Speaking immediately after the game, Sean Dyche admitted he was surprised that Pawson wasn’t sent to the pitchside monitor to view the incident: “Ours, the thing can’t work out, I see so many weak penalties and then you see that. He’s clearly tried to swipe the ball at goal. Their lad, I don’t think he can even reach it and interrupts him striking at goal - let’s say he’s going to score.

“They don’t even look at it. At least have a look at it.”

Asked his view on the incident, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher supported Pawson’s decision not to point to the spot, a view that was not shared by Warnock on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch. Speaking alongside Sue Smith, the former Liverpool defender said: “I was at the game, I thought this was a penalty. 100 percent.

“My reasoning is, there’s a couple of incidents as a former full-back where a player who is in front of me and I’m trying to pinch the ball, that player puts the foot across, I will always get impeded for trying to go into their space. If you think about incidents where you run forward with the ball and that player trips you from behind, they’ve now caught your standing leg, they’ve took your leg from under you.

“Dan Burn does exactly the same. I was absolutely astonished that this wasn’t given as a penalty. Calvert-Lewin is now in a position where he is about to strike a ball and Dan Burn makes contact with the back of his leg and takes him to ground. I’m still astounded that people don’t see it as Calvert-Lewin in the ascendency with his leg forward and Dan Burn goes round him and into that area.

“It’s baffling. I still can’t get my head around it. I’m still in shock.”

Smith, meanwhile, also disagreed with Gallagher on the incident, siding with Warnock in her opinion of the decision: “It’s a penalty,” Smith said.

“I agree with everything Stephen has said there because that’s surely Calvert Lewin’s space. We talk about space and whose space is it, he’s about to shoot, he’s about to strike the ball and the fact that Dan Burn comes into his space means that Calvert-Lewin hits Dan Burn’s leg. I know they’re saying that Calvert-Lewin hits Dan Burn’s leg and that’s why the penalty is not given, but he’s only hit his leg because his leg has gone into his space.”

Ultimately, the points were shared at Goodison Park with Anthony Gordon missing a first-half spot-kick of his own to put his side ahead on his old stomping ground.