- Everton are currently on a four-game winless streak.
- Last game saw the Blues blow a 3-1 lead to draw against Manchester City.
- But previous matches have been characterised by poor refereeing decisions.
Everton conceded a late goal for the third successive match after drawing 3-3 against Manchester City.
After finishing the first-half a goal down, the Toffees responded perfectly and got themselves into a comfortable 3-1 lead with less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
But they let their lead slip, and Jeremy Doku bagged his second of the game, and with it a point for his side.
Yet, amongst the disappointment of the result, David Moyes’ men believed they should’ve had a penalty after Merlin Rohl was dragged to the floor by Bernardo Silva.
This is just one of many controversial decisions Everton have been on the wrong side of this season, and an Everton icon thinks it has had a serious impact on the team.
Michael Ball thinks Everton are being refereed differently
Michael Ball acknowledged that Everton could have done better to hold onto their lead against City, but also thinks referees have not helped them in the past three matches.
He said: “People might point to it being the third consecutive game that Everton have conceded in stoppage time.
“But it seems obvious to me that our games are being refereed in a different way to the manner being adopted for other teams in the Premier League.
“If referees had done the right things and made what both I and many Evertonians believe to be the correct decisions over the last three matches then we would have picked up more points and could have been sitting pretty in the race for Europe.”
The Toffees were denied a penalty after Mateus Fernandes handled the ball in the penalty area during the defeat against West Ham United, and they also felt hard done by after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was bundled over in the box, following a collision with Liverpool’s Curtis Jones.
Referees have not been kind but Everton are the masters of their undoing
It is fair to say Everton and referees have not gotten on swimmingly this season.
Some decisions have been poor, but Monday’s matchup against Pep Guardiola’s side somewhat summarised the Blues’ season.
The men in royal blue were impressive in phases and were good value for entertainment; they were also sloppy in phases, which led to them not getting a win over the line, and ultimately, the Toffees ended up on the wrong side of a controversial refereeing decision.
Referees have not helped at times this season, but if silly mistakes and lapses of concentration were cut out, then the fallout from some matches would not have been as great.
