Dermot Gallagher said he was left hoping Newcastkle United would not score from the free-kick he believes was wrongly awarded
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher recoiled at a free-kick he believes was wrongly awarded to Newcastle United for a claimed foul on Anthony Gordon from Ashley Young.
The Blues academy graduate hit the ground in dramatic fashion after passing Young on the wing late in the first half. When referee Tony Harrington blew for a foul, Young raged in fury.
He had every right to be angry, Gallagher suggested, as he provided his view on the Sky Sports show Ref Watch. Revealing he was left hoping the free-kick did not lead to the hosts breaking the deadlock, he said: “I don’t think it is a foul at all. I think Anthony Gordon knows exactly what he is doing. Ashley Young makes no attempt to bring him down.
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“Whether he anticipates he is going to be brought down, I don’t know. But it is not a foul at all. It should not have been a free kick. When I was watching it I was thinking the last thing we need here is for them to score from this free-kick and fortunately they didn’t.
Former Liverpool player Stephen Warnock, who was on the panel alongside Gallagher and ex-England Women star, and Everton supporter, Sue Smith, added his own frustration at the call.
He said: “You have got to eradicate it in some way. You have got to work out what is a dive and what isn’t a dive. We go back to understanding body language. It is something that is so common in football – you can see the reaction of Ashley Young. I know Ash moans quite a lot about decisions but this one is so clear and obvious that Anthony Gordon has dived it is beyond me how the referee hasn’t seen that.
“Look at Ashley Young’s body position when he goes in for the challenge. His legs are crossed, his arms are in the air, his backside is not pushed out to try and make contact in anyway… we have got to try and eradicate it somehow, and it has got to be yellow cards.”
Newcastle failed to convert from the free-kick that followed, with Everton going on to snatch all three points through Carlos Alcaraz’s second half header. Gordon was replaced at half-time for Joe Willock.
