Everton told they were ‘lucky’ to escape significant referee error in their draw against Manchester City
Sean Dyche has now seen his side turn somewhat of a corner with four games straight without defeat, including three impressive draws.
But it could have been very different for the Toffees with Jordan Pickford saving Erling Haaland’s penalty in the second half.
The draw has solidified Everton’s position outside of the relegation zone for another few days ahead of their game on the weekend against Nottingham Forest.
However, the Toffees may be fortunate to have gotten away with a major error made by the referee at the Etihad.
Dyche slammed Vitaliy Mykolenko’s foul as ‘lazy’ during the second half of the game at the Etihad Stadium.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher admitted he was shocked by the Ukrainian’s challenge.
“100 per cent a foul. It’s reckless. The referee is focused on giving the foul and maybe the yellow card gets lost in the wash,” he said.
“Mykolenko is lucky and you can see his reaction at the end, he looked at the referee and said: “What are you going to do?”
The Toffees certainly got away with one and the Ukraine international was certainly handed a late Christmas gift by his goalkeeper.
Mykolenko’s display showed Everton need a new left-back in the January transfer window, as he left a lot to be desired at the Etihad.
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Mykolenko should have been sent off
The foul has rightfully received a lot of criticism with the defender taking a lazy swipe at the ball against a lightning quick winger.
However, it may have gone under the radar that Myokelnko was actually already on a booking from the first half.
Considering Mykolenko was hailed for his Chelsea display just a matter of days ago, his showing on Boxing Day was one to forget.
For that penalty challenge not to be handed a yellow card would suggest there has been an error made by the referee.
And because it was not a red card offence and such a clear foul, VAR did not take a second look at the incident.
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