Carragher responds immediately to ‘silly’ Everton vs. Tottenham incident live on Sky Sports
Jamie Carragher believes Jarrad Branthwaite was fortunate to escape conceding a penalty for a "silly" challenge on Son Heung-min during Everton's 3-2 win over Tottenham at Goodison Park.
The 22-year-old England centre-back nudged the Spurs attacker during the first half of Sunday’s match against Tottenham (19 January).
Replays revealed that Son appeared to go down too easily, but Sky Sports co-commentator Jamie Carragher believed Jarrad Branthwaite gave referee Darren England a decision to consider.
“It’s silly from Branthwaite, very lucky to get away with it,” Carragher remarked.
“You know what, maybe there’s a case of Son looking for it, putting his left leg against him, but we’ve seen attacking players do that.”
Carragher suggested this incident fell into the “seen them given” category. While he may have a point, this wasn’t a penalty.
There’s no justification for awarding a spot-kick here.
At worst, Branthwaite’s action might be labeled naive, but Son was clearly seeking the foul. Credit goes to the referee for not being deceived and refraining from awarding the penalty.
For Everton supporters, it was likely a pleasant surprise to see the decision go in their favor, as such calls often seem to work against the Toffees.
It was a relief that this moment didn’t overshadow an outstanding first-half performance.
David Moyes, in only his second game back in charge, must have been delighted with the team’s display.
Could this signal a turning point in what has been a lackluster campaign so far?
For Everton, avoiding that penalty call and maintaining their momentum in the game marked a small yet significant victory in an otherwise challenging season.
