Arsenal have effectively bowed out of the Premier League title race after failing to beat Everton in Saturday’s early kick-off.
The Gunners needed to win against the Toffees to keep the pressure up on Liverpool, who were 12 points clear at the top prior to kick-off.
Arsenal opened the scoring in the 34th minute when Raheem Sterling set up Leandro Trossard to finish off after the visitors embarked on a counter-attack.
However, Everton were controversially given the chance to equalise when Myles Lewis-Skelly bundled Jack Harrison over inside the box for a Toffees penalty.
Iliman Ndiaye stepped up and coolly converted his spot kick, which ultimately deprived Arsenal of two crucial points and further hampered their title chances.
The penalty decision led to widespread debate among fans and pundits, with former referee Mike Dean also having his say.
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Mike Dean says Everton penalty in Arsenal draw was ‘soft’
Dean admitted that Darren England’s decision was “soft”, though he suggested it was nonetheless the right decision.
“There’s a bit of contact outside and there’s a little bit of contact inside,” Dean said on Sky Sports News.
“I think it’s a soft one. It’s probably not wrong, but it’s a soft one.”
Sky Sports pundit Michael Dawson appeared to have a stronger stance on the incident.
“I don’t know why Lewis-Skelly doesn’t go to attack it… Harrison gets the wrong side of him,” he said.
“I think this is awfully soft, but it’s gone to VAR… I can see why it was given in real time.
“But watching it again, there’s hardly a touch.”
What the Premier League Match Centre said about penalty decision
The decision proved controversial as both players were jostling with each other and Lewis-Skelly went down first, not to mention whether the foul took place inside or outside the box.
However, England deemed Lewis-Skelly the culprit in the incident and awarded a penalty to Everton, with VAR telling the referee to stick with his decision.
“The referee’s call of penalty for the challenge by Lewis-Skelly on Harrison was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the contact deemed to be sufficient for a penalty and inside the area,” the statement read.
The debate is likely to rage on, considering it effectively ended Arsenal’s title hopes once and for all.
