Former EPL referee Dermot Gallagher has shared his thoughts on an incident between Erling Haaland and Jordan Pickford during Manchester City’s recent 3-0 win over Everton.
During the second half of the game at Goodison Park, there was a clash between the two players, which saw the Toffees goalkeeper make contact with Haaland’s head as both players were looking to take control of the ball in the air.
The on-field referee ultimately waved for play to carry on and VAR didn’t interfere.
Speaking on the latest edition of Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, Gallagher said this about the incident.
He said: “Haaland does the same [as Pickford]. He has a look where he is, he’s very happy to stand there and makes no attempt to play the ball.
“The referee has the best view, and once the referee says no penalty on the field, which I think is right, the VAR’s not going to overrule that.
“I feel Haaland does as much as Pickford. If he sides with the goalkeeper, you’d say they always back the goalkeeper. He has three choices – free-kick to Pickford, penalty to Haaland, or play on. He took the third choice.”
In our view, while the City striker may have been aware of where Pickford was, he may not have anticipated the Everton shot-stopper clashing into his face with his hand while the ball was moving in the air.
Overall, while a potential penalty for City as a result of this incident wouldn’t have changed the ultimate outcome, it would still have been disappointing for the away supporters to not see the referee give the decision to Pep Guardiola’s side.
