Sky Sports pundits clash over whether Ipswich should’ve had a penalty vs Everton

Everton have quite a checkered history with Premier League officials, but they certainly have them to thank after their last game.

   Although it was simply the right decision, which is their job.

   Regardless, he came under a lot of scrutiny, especially compared to the previous instance in the Toffees’ last game before their trip to Ipswich Town.

   Even those at Sky Sports seem to be broken.

   Should Ipswich Town have had a penalty against Everton?

   The Evertonians can finally skip this week’s repeat of Sky Sports Ref Watch as they haven’t been involved in any controversies to make them feel hurt.

   A routine win, things could have been very different had Ipswich Town been awarded the penalty which they were awarded while the score was only 1-0.

   Dermot Gallagher opened the debate by trying to shut down any appeals and backed the referee by saying: “This is a carbon copy of Calvert-Lewin and Burn last week when I stated that the forward caught the defender.”    The same thing happened.’

   But Sue Smith, who felt Everton should have been awarded a penalty for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s penalty incident against Newcastle United, stood by his stance: “McNeil puts his foot over Clarke before he shoots. You have to defend Ipswich I think  it’s a punishment.

   Stephen Warnock, however, was a bit more skeptical: “I’m not so sure. I think he’s just stopping. McNeil is close, where can I go?”

   VAR is finally showing consistency in the Premier League

   Whether it’s a penalty or not, at least the decision at Portman Road represents the consistency in Premier League refereeing that many have longed for.

   After all, if the dismissal decision were to stand on Saturday, it would be a tragedy given the exact same situation as the game a week earlier against Newcastle United.

   There, Dan Burn stepped between the fielder and the ball, forcing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to hit the back of the leg.    As such, no penalty was imposed.

   Some will still argue that there should have been a spot-kick, but few can argue with the fact that those at VAR probably saw and decided to stand by their decision a few weeks earlier.

   At least teams will know where they stand if the officials stay consistent with these important decisions.