Former Premier League referee explains why Everton didn’t get controversial penalty vs Brentford

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believes Demarai Gray was unlucky to have his goal ruled out against Brentford at the weekend for handball, but cited that the goal was correctly ruled out according to the laws of the game.

Gray had seemingly put Everton two goals up against Thomas Frank’s team only for it to be ruled out after a long VAR check.

It was Jordan Pickford’s searching free-kick which was powered across goal by James Tarkowski that set-up the chance, as a Brenford defender’s attempted clearance deflected in off Gray.

Whilst the consenus is that Gray did not handle the ball on purpose, the fact that it resulted in a goal was enough to chalk the goal off for handball and that’s exactly what Gallagher expressed on Ref Watch on Sky Sports News today:

“Sue [Smith] is saying no but I think she’s wrong for once!” Gallagher joked on the live show. “I think it just strikes his arm.

“Because it’s handball leading to a goal which it does because it strikes Demarai Gray him and goes into the net. I think it’s unlucky but that’s the new rule isn’t it.”

On top of that, during BT Sport’s live coverage of their show ‘BT Sport Score’ ex Premier League-referee Peter Walton was on hand to comment on the disallowed goal, as he also agreed on the outcome of the decision:

“Yeah disappointing as it may be, the law says that the goal scorer cannot even accidentally handle the ball,” he said.

“He didn’t mean to, but the ball has touched his arm, the evidence is there, so it’s given.”

That goal moved Everton up three places to 15th in the Premier League table, but they still only sit one point above the relegation zone as just five points separates Bournemouth in 20th to Crystal Palace in 12th place.