Every Premier League club will feel that they are always hard done by and that the officials are against them, but with Everton, there is a very serious claim to be made.
The Toffees have enjoyed a largely successful season, full of progression and positivity in periods under Sean Dyche.
However, the latter was swiftly expunged through their ten-point deduction, enforced back in November.
It sent them thundering back down to the foot of the table, desperately scrambling to get their head above water again.
And whilst they have since managed to do so, the lack of daylight between them and the bottom three has now seen Luton Town leapfrog them after last night’s round of matches.
Every team needs a bit of luck now and then to end this kind of torrid run and earn that respite in moments of need, but with Everton that never seems to come. Especially when it comes to refereeing decisions.
What have Everton failed to do this season?
Remarkably, they are the only club in the entire Premier League who are yet to actually receive a penalty.
Every other club in the division has been handed at least once throughout this league campaign, with Chelsea and Liverpool actually having received eight and six respectively already.
It makes for ridiculous viewing, but one which might be weakly explained by their lack of persisting offensive threat in and around the box.
And yet, there are numerous examples of strong, if undeniable claims from this season that should have merited a spot kick but didn’t.
Last night was no different, as Antonee Robinson quite clearly handled the ball on the goal line but it was adjudged to have been unintentional whilst he supposedly had his arms by his sides.
Another laughable defence that only further exhibits the Premier League’s lack of quality when it comes to refereeing. Farcical.
Everton vs the Premier League
Realistically, it must be a coincidence that this torrid luck is coinciding with Everton’s ongoing battle with the Premier League.
After all, there is no way that the organisation could be tampering with officials in their plight to eradicate the Toffees, despite how corrupt fans may think they are.
Especially given they are doing a fine job of doing it even without poor refereeing decisions, having already deducted ten points in November, and clearly seeking to do so again with the second alleged breach earlier this month.
They are not hiding their desire to crush Everton, thus making it unlikely that any questionable officiating is just that.
It is also worth noting that these referees and those on VAR have been notoriously poor for many years now, and are only seemingly getting worse with each passing campaign.
Every week there is a new controversy forged from the failures of those in black, and admittedly it is getting tiring.
But such profligacy can be extremely damaging when so much is at stake in the Premier League. Everton cannot keep getting such coincidental misfortune, as combined with their points deduction, it could prove catastrophic.
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