Abdoulaye Doucoure has told EvertonTV that he is frustrated Frank Lampard’s side lost to Manchester City as Paul Tierney and VAR Chris Kavanagh denied Everton a ‘clear penalty’.
The Citizens snatched a 1-0 result at Goodison Park on Saturday after Phil Foden scored the only goal after 82-minutes. There was also a sense of luck about the 21-year-old’s hit, having needed a Michael Keane error while the ball ricocheted twice before finding him.
Everton had done well to keep the score level against the Premier League leaders until the final minutes on Merseyside. But Tierney compounded their misery two-minutes later after waving away the Toffees’ calls for a penalty, despite VAR Kavanagh reviewing the incident.
Manchester City star Rodri made evident contact with the ball with his arm in an unnatural position inside Ederson’s area. Yet Kavanagh – despite Rodri looking worried – decided the contact did not warrant a penalty and did not tell on-field ref Tierney to check the incident.
PGMOL managing director Mike Riley has since phoned Lampard and Everton director Bill Kenwright to apologise for the non-call. Sky Sports report Riley has contacted both after the Toffees submitted an official complaint to the Premier League on Monday.
Doucoure admits ‘frustration’ at Man City loss as Everton denied ‘clear penalty’
The point Everton could have taken against Manchester City with a penalty could be crucial in a relegation fight. Lampard’s side sit just 17th in the Premier League table after 24 games with a one-point lead to Burnley in 18th. But they have played two games less than Leeds.
Nonetheless, Tierney and Kavanagh not giving Everton a penalty against Manchester City disappointed Doucoure as Rodri’s handball was so evident. But the Frenchman can take some comfort from the performance the Blues managed against Pep Guardiola’s side.
“It was a big frustration and I think we had a clear penalty,” Doucoure said. “We worked hard for all the 90-minutes. It was a good game, we worked for each other, and I think we deserved more.
“We have to dig in and stay together and, if we play like we did on Saturday, then we are going to be okay for the next games. We have to take the positives and keep up this standard.”
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