Micah Richards believes “guilty” James Tarkowski was lucky not to give away a penalty for Everton in the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace.
The Blues earned their first Premier League win of the season at Goodison Park on Saturday [28 September] courtesy of a Dwight McNeil brace in the second half after Marc Guehi gave the visitors a one-goal lead heading into the break.
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Richards, when reacting to the game on Match of the Day [28 September, 45:25], believes Everton were lucky not to be two goals down at half-time after Tarkowksi challenged Jean-Philippe Mateta on the edge of the penalty area.
He said: “I think he takes him out on both legs, I think Tarkowski knows exactly what he’s doing, he looks at the referee.
“He knows he’s guilty, you see it there – he’s on the line, he gets a little bit of the ball, he gets his leg, he get’s both legs if I’m being totally honest about the situation. But, Everton need a little bit of luck they’ve had no luck over the last couple of weeks.
“So they got away with one there but I do believe it is a penalty.”
Everton get lucky in their first win of the season
Sean Dyche will be the most relieved man on Merseyside this weekend as his Everton side finally ended their five-match barren run in the Premier League.
Regardless of whether or not Tarkowski fouled Mateta, the Blues were excellent at Goodison Park. After weeks of results not going their way, they found a way to be rewarded for a fantastic performance.
Dwight McNeil is rightfully receiving his plaudits for single-handedly winning the match for his side, the forward has been a standout among the disappointment for the Blues and now has three goals and two assists in six appearances.
Everton James Tarkowski
Everton defender James Tarkowski
Pundits and fans can argue the toss over whether it was a penalty or not but the simple fact is Everton have had a lot go against them, so a little bit of fortune was well overdue and Tarkowski was largely excellent against the Eagles.
The 31-year-old looked formidable with the return of Jarrad Branthwaite in central defence, and their partnership will undoubtedly be massive for Everton moving forward as they aim to build on this hugely important victory and put some daylight between themselves and the relegation zone.
Branthwaite’s immediate impact upon returning to the side did not go unnoticed, creating chances has been no problem for the Blues and now with the preferred centre-back partnership back on the pitch, the league’s worst defence is set to be what pushes the side up the Premier League table.
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