Are you even a real football blog if you don’t write an article about how referees are targeting your team?
During a bad run of form it is very easy to turn the focus on the Premier League’s incompetent mafia-like referee group. Most sensible people will tell you Howard Webb’s band of merry men are simply not very good and inconsistently apply the laws of the game.
That is true. But the fact remains Everton have been refereed differently than other teams in the Premier League this season and it is beginning to impact results.
While we talk about the inconsistency that is not strictly accurate. Refereeing this season has been remarkably consistent when it comes to Everton.
When James Tarkowski, arm tucked behind his back, got in the way of a deflected Leeds shot late in the opening game pundits and former referees almost unanimously declared it a penalty. A week later Dewsbury-Hall closed down a shot that was heading for the stands. At a distance of just a few yards, it struck his arm and was awarded a penalty.
Everton fans could be forgiven for being upset. But if the handball rules have been made stricter over the summer then there is nothing we can do. At least Everton would eventually be the beneficiary of a handball in the area.
Except that is not the case. Handballs have not been given for exactly the same incidents time and time again this season. Against Manchester City, the ball clearly struck a defender who had blocked a shot from distance. The VAR gave nothing and City broke up the other end and scored a second.
Against Newcastle Harvey Barnes clearly handled the ball off the line from a James Garner corner. At Burnley a shot from further away than Dewsbury-Hall’s penalty was handled by a defender but VAR ignored it. Everton did not deserve to win the game but were denied the chance to snatch it.
And it is not just handballs. Thierno Barry was kicked in the air by an Arsenal defender after the ball had gone. VAR checked and cleared it in seconds. A couple of gameweeks later an identical decision had been awarded to Wolves in a crucial relegation battle with West Ham.
After the Arsenal game David Moyes said: “I was half-choking last night when I saw the decision given and ours wasn’t.“It feels as though certain clubs get those decisions and other clubs don’t. We seem to be on the latter side of that.”
Against Wolves, Everton can not really complain about the red cards to Michael Keane and Jack Grealish – although it is notable that Virgil Van Dijk famously sarcastically applauded referee Chris Kavanagh and escaped a booking against Man City this season.
But still the VAR was inconsistent. Hwang raked his studs down Harrison Armstrongs calf, doubling down and pressing weight onto the leg as Armstrong hit the floor. Xavi Simons had been sent off against Liverpool for an identical tackle. Here Chris Kavanagh decided it warranted a yellow card and VAR did not intervene.
Wolves regularly wrestled Everton attackers during set pieces. West Ham conceded a penalty against Brighton when Lucas Paqueta did the same just days ago. What changed in the rules to ignore it at Hill Dickinson Stadium?
The article could continue for a while. Everton fans are not suggesting all of the decisions against them this season are incorrect. What they should be asserting is that all of the decisions that have gone against Everton this season have been ignored within weeks, even days, in other matches. It suggests a bizarre ‘letter of the law’ refereeing style when decisions are going against Everton but not when those decisions are in Everton’s favour.
You may also have noticed that a large number of these decisions come from two culprits; Chris Kavanagh and Craig Pawson.
Kavanagh has history with Everton. He refused to send Virgil Van Dijk off for a horror tackle on Amadou Onana in a Merseyside derby before sending of Carlo Ancelotti for questioning the decision. He is also the VAR behind the worst ever handball decision when Rodri batted the ball out via Manchester City. The outrageous decision cost Liverpool a Premier League title and Everton an important point in their relegation battle.
Kavanagh was the referee during the ludicrous Leeds penalty and again for the Wolves game, where he missed the Hwang red card.
However, he does not come close to Craig Pawson. Famously Neil Warnock suggested Pawson has ‘something with Everton’ and despite his astonishing record of red cards, poor decisions and Everton defeats, he has been appointed to an unprecedented five Everton games in just half a season by the Premier League.
Pawson has refereed 32 Everton games and they have won just six times. He has sent more Everton players off (5) than any other team he has refereed.
Previously Pawson was responsible for the soft Allan sending off against Newcastle in a game Everton had to win to stay afloat in the Premier League. In 2023 he refereed a farcical Merseyside derby where he sent off Ashley Young and then refused to send off Ibrahim Konate for a clear foul on Beto as the Everton striker broke away. Pawson allowed Klopp to substitute the defender immediately after refusing to book him.
Last season he awarded a penalty for Newcastle at Goodison Park which was thankfully saved by Pickford. Moments later he denied a clear foul on Calvert-Lewin by Dan Burn as Everton once again were not awarded a penalty.
The Spurs game this season was a highlight. A disallowed Everton goal was the main talking point but the game was notable for his yellow card to Jack Grealish, who was protesting a blatant tactical foul as Everton broke away. Pawson did not book the defender.
It was Pawson who refused to give the penalty against Burnley when Jaiden Anthony handballed. PGMOL backed up the decision by suggesting his hand was ‘in a justifiable position’. Hilariously, PGMOL used the phrase ‘unjustifiable position’ for Dewsbury-Hall versus Brighton despite the Everton man being ten yards closer to the ball being struck.
The problem is not the decisions themselves. The problem is that Everton are being punished by ‘letter of the law’ decisions while near identical fouls and handballs are not being given regularly elsewhere. Time and time again referees with a long history of controversy against Everton are making decisions against the team while ignoring decisions that would benefit them.
Everton need to be vocal and active in calling out the rogue referees. Craig Pawson and Chris Kavanagh should not be allowed to referee Everton again. The evidence is all there and the PGMOL needs to act.