Sean Dyche left stunned by one key decision the referee made during Everton vs Brighton

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Despite hardly being the most enthralling affair of all time, Everton’s game yesterday had pretty much everything.

From a stunning opener to red card controversy, BBC’s Match of the Day pundits were left with plenty to discuss, and even more for Gary Lineker and Micah Richards to debate.

However, there was one key decision that the referees made which left Sean Dyche completely baffled, and even frustrated.

After all, it proved pivotal in dropping two points from a winning position, the first time they have done that since the reverse fixture with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Dyche detailed his disappointment with the officiating.

What Sean Dyche said about the referees yesterday

So often on the wrong side of refereeing decisions, it felt refreshing yesterday to see Everton’s opposition thwarted by the man with the whistle for a change, sending Billy Gilmour off for his wild challenge on Amadou Onana.

It was the first time in many, many months that the Toffees had boasted a numerical advantage as a result of a red card, and the hope was that they could make it count given they had already snatched the lead.

However, in the 95th minute of injury time, Lewis Dunk rose highest to head home a crushing equaliser. It was the first headed goal that Everton have conceded this season; a remarkable statistic.

But there was anger when the fourth official lifted his board up to display nine added minutes, with the away section questioning where he had conjured that number up from.

Dyche was another left dumbfounded, and he would tell BBC Sport post-match: ‘Inevitably they get nine minutes and all of us are wondering where that came from. The crowd get a lift, they get that freedom to just throw things forward and if anything we should have just kept the ball better.’

‘We all wonder about these nine minutes and all that, who knows where they come from, they’ll have their reasons and they’ll add on every second they can find.’

Everton were so close to their first Premier League win of 2024

Having failed to overcome a manageress Crystal Palace at home, been beaten by Manchester City, and earned draws with Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, 2024 has marked the continuation of a barren run for Dyche’s men.

They just cannot claim that all-important victory, the likes of which would go a long way towards distancing themselves from the relegation zone.

Whilst they remain out of it for now, just one point away from Luton Town, there remains an unrelenting pressure that they need to forge a larger gap or else be dragged into the mire late in the season.

But with their appeal process rumbling on, it almost feels like the team has stopped playing as freely as they did back in late November and early December, perhaps expectant that this upcoming outcome will bail them out.

Well, they cannot rely on any favours from the Premier League, and with West Ham United on the horizon before tough tests against Manchester United and Liverpool, Everton must start picking some serious points to avoid a third straight dogfight which goes on late into the campaign.