The emojis say it all
Everton’s Anthony Gordon took to Twitter to express his frustration at the decision not to award his side a penalty in Sunday’s Merseyside defeat to Liverpool.
Gordon put in an impressive performance for Frank Lampard’s relegation-threatened side at Anfield and was the subject of two penalty appeals either side of half-time.
The youngster was booked for simulation for an incident in the first-half, later insisting he had felt contact from Naby Keita which made him go down in the area at the Kop end.
In the second half, with the game still goalless, he had a far stronger case. His pace helping him get in behind Joel Matip, Gordon went down after the pair collided – Gordon later claiming Matip had stood on his foot in the process. Referee Stuart Attwell waved play on, with VAR not intervening.
Liverpool eventually broke Everton’s resistance just after the hour mark as Andy Robertson nodded in Mo Salah’s cross at the back post. Any hope of the Toffees snatching a point was dashed by Divock Origi, who doubled Liverpool’s lead with five minutes left to play.
Gordon on his penalty appeals
Speaking after the game Gordon said he believed the second incident was his strongest claim for a penalty, but understood why his first had been rejected.
“The second one for me was the strongest because he stood on my foot, clearly,” he told Sky Sports after the game. “I’ve gone one-on-one with him, got the better of him and he stood on my foot which has caused me severe pain and I’ve gone down.
“The first one I’ve watched back. I felt the contact and went down but from a few angles I can see why he hasn’t given it.
“It’s certainly not a yellow card because it’s not a dive. There is contact.”
🗣️ "We could have had a penalty."
🗣️ "Luck didn't go for us. It's frustrating"
Anthony Gordon reacts to Everton's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool & the decisions made by the referee. pic.twitter.com/Kr1GZzjSCn
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 24, 2022
Gordon vents his frustration on Twitter
Gordon later tweeted footage of the challenge from Matip, accompanied by two facepalm emojis – a clear indication of what he thought of the decision not to award a penalty.
The result, coupled with Burnley’s win over Wolves earlier in the day, leaves Everton in the relegation zone – albeit with a game in hand over the Lancashire club. Liverpool, meanwhile, keep alive their hopes of a quadruple.
Klopp and Lampard on Gordon penalty appeal
Speaking after the game, Jurgen Klopp said he believed Gordon had been fortunate to avoid a second booking, adding that the second incident was not a penalty.
“He’s really good but he’s lucky not to get a second yellow,” Klopp said after the game. “The first was not a penalty and the second wasn’t.”
Lampard, meanwhile, was adamant his side should have been given the spot kick.
“It is a penalty in the second half. I don’t think you get them here,” he said. “I think probably if that is Mo Salah at the other end, you get a penalty.
“And I’m not trying to create conflict there, I think it is just the reality of football sometimes… For me, for sure, that was a penalty the second one on Anthony. It was a foul, it was a clear foul. But you don’t get them here.”
Related links:
- Frank Lampard suggests ‘questionable’ VAR calls to be expected at Anfield
- Alisson trolls Jordan Pickford during Liverpool’s Merseyside derby win over Everton
- Fans think Sadio Mane should have been sent off in first half of Merseyside derby
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