'Terrible': Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker left baffled by one decision in Everton’s win over Crystal Palace
Everton picked up their first win against Crystal Palace but Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker were left baffled by one 'terrible' decision.
Everton finally converted a lead into three points with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
It has been an incredibly frustrating start to the Premier League season for the Toffees after losing successive games to Bournemouth and Aston Villa despite leading 2-0 in both.
But Sean Dyche‘s side finally picked up their first league win of the 2024/25 campaign on Saturday after Dwight McNeil scored a second-half brace.
The visitors had taken the lead through Marc Guehi after just 10 minutes but this time it was Everton‘s turn to come from behind and they rallied at half-time before putting on a much-improved performance after the break.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 5 |
| 15 |  IpswichIpswich | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 4 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 4 |
| 17 |  LeicesterLeicester | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 3 |
| 18 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 3 |
Everton have now climbed out of the relegation zone into 16th place in the Premier League table, whereas Crystal Palace have dropped down into 18th.
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer on ‘terrible’ Everton decision
Everton started poorly against Palace and were punished when Guehi scored the opener, but things could have gone from bad to worse if referee Andy Madley had pointed to the spot for James Tarkowski‘s challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The Toffees defender jumped into a challenge just inside the penalty box as Mateta was lining up to shoot.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker agreed that Everton “got away with it”.
“The pressure on them after going 1-0 down, and they got away with I thought it was a terrible decision,” Alan Shearer said.
“I mean, Palace should have had a penalty. It was Tarkowski’s challenge on Mateta.
“Reckless, wasn’t it?” Lineker interjected.
“That might have made it 2-0 if it had been given as a penalty, I thought it was a terrible challenge,” Shearer continued
“But they got away with it.”
Dermot Gallagher’s verdict on Everton penalty debate
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher assessed Tarkowski’s challenge on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch and he agrees with Lineker and Shearer.
“I think Tarkowski jumps in,” Gallagher said.
“He does get some of the ball there’s no doubt about that. But I think the fact he jumps in, he gets enough of the man for me.
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“It’s going to split a lot of people, I actually think it’s a penalty. I was sat with another referee on Saturday and he thought no penalty. So tough call.”
However, VAR stuck with the on-pitch decision and Everton went on to complete a comeback.
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