Everton were good value for their 1-1 draw with Luton Town on Friday night.
It was a match where Sky Sports would have expected relegation-related fireworks as they placed it as their showpiece clash to kickstart the weekend’s coverage, but instead it was a quiet, tame affair between one side unbothered by the result, and another lacking the necessary quality to take control of the game.
Once again, Sean Dyche’s side were resolute and frustrated their opposition, and on another day could have easily claimed all three points.
However, their efforts in securing just one was made far easier by a moment of madness which left most in the media baffled.
Ian Wright and Jermaine Jenas left stunned by Everton incident
Speaking on last night’s Match of the Day, all three pundits were in agreement over the outstanding flashpoint in an otherwise rather quiet affair.
Both sides had chances to win the game, particularly in the second half, but for the Toffees it was very much the performance of a side quite happy to ample towards another point on the road.
For the Hatters, with far more at stake, it was surprising how little they threw themselves at it.
What was also a surprise was Teden Mengi’s decision to wrestle Jarrad Branthwaite to the ground in the first half, which afforded Everton their 1-0 lead. Ian Wright claimed: ‘Well he actually lifts him up, I’ve never seen this before. And he’s [Branthwaite] a big guy as well. To see him being lifted up like that…’.
Jermaine Jenas then chimed in, claiming ‘it’s strange’, before the former Arsenal striker continued: ‘And you think to yourself, that should kind of give you a clue. He’s off the ground, look!’
Jenas replied: ‘It’s just mad defending, it’s not necessary to hold someone for that long.’
Everton could have had three penalties vs Luton Town
Whilst the Branthwaite decision in the first half was given, and rightly so, it marked just one of three outstanding penalty claims that the Toffees had throughout the match.
The first was actually waved away, with Dwight McNeil bursting into the penalty area from Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s reverse ball.
As the winger squeezed past two defenders, the foot of the defender quite clearly stepped on top of the Everton player’s, sending him to the ground.
Despite clear contact inside the penalty area to prohibit his progression, both the on-field referee and those in VAR saw fit to wave appeals away.
Branthwaite was then actually awarded his penalty for the wrestling match going on inside the area, before Beto then had another serious claim of his own deep in the second half.
With the scores level, the Portuguese forward looked to have wriggled free of his marker and was through on goal.
And yet, despite a clear impediment from the defender, which again saw the striker forced to the ground, no foul was given.
For all the uproar surrounding Nottingham Forest’s controversial trip to Goodison Park last month, this marks Everton’s own version of those events. Note the stark difference in the club’s reactions…
