'How?' - Labour politician outraged by controversial incident in Everton v Newcastle draw

Everton being denied a penalty in the goalless draw with Newcastle left Andy Burnham in disbelief once he’d seen the incident.

Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor reacted via X on 5 October after the game at Goodison Park in which the Toffees had a claim turned down after a clash between Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dan Burn in the second half.

Referee Craig Pawson chose not to award a penalty and VAR didn’t recommend a review, after the Magpies defender stepped in front of the Everton striker as he wound up for a shot inside the area.

Burnham, a prominent Evertonian, wrote: “Just got home. How was that not a penalty?”

Andy Burnham reacts to Dominic Calvert-Lewin call for Everton

In real time it looked all the world like it had to be a penalty as Everton put the pressure on Eddie Howe’s side in a tight encounter.

And after Newcastle had already been given a spot kick at the same end before the break, as Jordan Pickford saved from Anthony Gordon to roars from the Goodison Park crowd, it felt like it would be the hosts’ turn.

On seeing replays it was less clear as Burn had got his leg in front and Calvert-Lewin had kicked through the back of it, although such instances remain highly debatable.

Simply sticking a leg in front of a player half-way through a kicking motion seems to be enough for referees to side with the player receiving the contact, although it often feels far more like obstruction of the kicker.

Idrissa Gueye should have made it a moot point anyway as he somehow blasted the loose ball over the bar, although in the circumstances it would have been no surprise to see a goal disallowed for a foul on Burn anyway.

In isolation, based on other decisions in similar situations, it was probably consistent not to award a penalty.

But given the Toffees record at the hands of officials plenty of fans will feel like it was the sort of clash that was bound to go against Sean Dyche’s men either way.

A point and a clean sheet without the injured Jarrad Branthwaite was not a terrible result, and denying Gordon from the spot while extending the unbeaten run to three games going into the international break is a moderate positive after a nightmare run to start the campaign.

In other Everton news, Dyche has explained clearly why The Friedkin Group is unlikely to keep him on.

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