Premier League release statement on Leeds United vs Everton controversy
Leeds United’s clash with Everton on Monday was decided by a controversial penalty shout.
Leeds United needed a fast start their Premier League campaign, and they did just that with a dramatic 1-0 victory against Everton at Elland Road.
Daniel Farke‘s men had the better of the game, but failed to make the most of their domination until a controversial call in the final six minutes of regular time.
Lukas Nmecha dispatched the penalty to earn Leeds their first three points of the season, and the Premier League were forced to release a statement after the decision.
Leeds penalty decision explained in Premier League statement
Purely based on the scrappy nature of the game, it was clear that the result would be decided by a moment of quality or a moment of controversy.
It proved to be the latter when Anton Stach‘s long-range effort was deemed to be handled by James Tarkowski in the penalty area, with Chris Kavanagh pointing to the spot after a few seconds to think about the call.
VAR backed the on-field decision, with the Premier League explaining the decision to uphold the penalty via the Premier League Match Centre account on X.
The statement reads: “The referee’s call of a penalty for handball by Tarkowski was checked and confirmed by VAR, with it deemed that he leaned into the ball with his arm.”
Tarkowski had his arm behind his back, leading many across social media to question the awarding of the penalty.
Leeds win vs Everton but some concerns still emerge
Three points are the main thing, but the lack of real threat posed by Leeds will be a slight concern heading into the final 13 days of the transfer window.
The Whites dominated the game, especially in the opening 45, but failed to really test Jordan Pickford, managing just one shot on target despite 12 attempts on goal in the first half.
Leeds are looking to address that with the signing of Noah Okafor, but it still feels like more will be needed to turn this side into a real attacking threat.
Nonetheless, Leeds have passed their first of 38 challenges in the Premier League, and have an excellent spot to build from.
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