Everton were ‘really wronged’ by ‘pivotal’ moment against Liverpool

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Everton’s record against Liverpool in recent history is nothing short of abysmal, but made even worse when visiting Anfield to face their long-term rivals from just across Stanley Park.

A sole victory since 1999 at their former ground is an infuriating return, only set to be elongated whilst the gulf in quality between the two sides remains.

However, as is the case with most sides travelling to face the Reds, they will always hope to get a few slices of luck to balance out the difficulty.

On Saturday, that was far from what the Toffees received, with yet another questionable officiating performance favouring the hosts on numerous occasions.

Seeing Ashley Young dismissed marked one outstanding grievance, but seeing Kostas Tsimikas avoid any bookings at all only exacerbated frustrations.

Then, when Ibrahima Konate bundled over Beto whilst already on a yellow card, Craig Pawson’s weakness showed.

Chris Sutton, who used to star for Celtic, would echo such a sentiment in the Daily Mail’s podcast, noting: ‘It was a pivotal moment. Klopp was smart as anything, wasn’t he? He was onto it, he knew he’d got away with one.

‘Once again we’re back into the consistency, or the inconsistency debate of refereeing. I think Liverpool did get away with one there because Everton could’ve sneaked it.

‘Everton were really wronged. You’re probably going to say to me that Everton weren’t going to win the game or score a goal anyway but I think they were in with a chance.

‘They were resilient, they dug in and you just never know. Liverpool did get away with one there.’

Should Ibrahima Konate have been sent off vs Everton?

It is a largely irrefutable notion, to suggest that the French centre-back was lucky to remain on the pitch.

After all, Everton’s Portuguese marksman was bounding through on goal had Konate not interfered, both grabbing his body and clipping his knee to send him to the ground.

It was the quintessential tactical foul, perhaps even more cynical than the one he had committed just 15 minutes earlier.

And yet, Pawson kept his card in his pocket, sparking huge unrest from fans and the media alike. Former referee Dermot Gallagher even attested that the 24-year-old had been a ‘lucky boy’.

Perhaps Sean Dyche could consider kicking up a fuss akin to Jurgen Klopp’s for their VAR failures against Tottenham Hotspur, but it is unlikely much will be made to spark an outcry like that of their rivals.