Danny Murphy said on Match of the Day on BBC One (10:36pm, February 20, 2021) that he changed his mind about the controversial penalty that Everton were given against Liverpool at Anfield.
The former Liverpool midfielder said that initially he felt that it was a bad decision, but after watching television replays, he changed his mind.
With around 10 minutes left on the lock, Dominic Calvert-Lewin was adjudged to have been brought down inside the box by Trent Alexander-Arnold, and after a VAR check, a penalty was awarded.
Gylfi Sigurdsson made no mistake from the spot, and Carlo Ancelotti’s side went on to win the Merseyside derby 2-0.
Former Everton centre-back Martin Keown felt that it was a penalty as well.
Keown said on Match of the Day on BBC One (10:36pm, February 20, 2021): “For me, this is a penalty.”
Murphy said: “Well, I think initially I felt it was a bad decision because you saw him make contact with his head and fall over.
“It was only later on when we had the ability to look at these replays where he lifted his foot we had the explanation. In the end, it didn’t really matter. Some refs would have given it, some wouldn’t. The game was already lost.”
Everton were better than Liverpool
Over the course of the 90 minutes at Anfield on Saturday evening, Everton were the better side.
True, Liverpool had 72% of the possession, but of the 15 shots that the defending Premier League champions took, only six were on target, according to BBC Sport.
Everton also had six shots on target, but the Toffees took a total of nine, according to BBC Sport.
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