Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has shared his thoughts on the penalty awarded to Everton in their Premier League match against Arsenal on Saturday.
Dean acknowledged that the decision was a soft one, noting that the contact appeared to begin outside the box.
The incident occurred in the 49th minute when Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly was judged to have fouled Jack Harrison inside the penalty area.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Dean stated that while the penalty was not necessarily wrong, it was a marginal call. “There’s a bit of contact outside and a little inside. It’s a soft one. It’s probably not wrong, but it is soft,” he explained.
Earlier, former Premier League player Michael Dawson had disagreed with the decision, calling it incorrect. He argued that there was no contact inside the box, saying, “I don’t know why Lewis-Skelly doesn’t attack the ball… Harrison gets the wrong side of him. It’s a very soft call, but it’s gone to VAR… Watching it again, there’s hardly any contact.”
The penalty was converted by Iliman Ndiaye, leveling the score at 1-1 after Leandro Trossard had given Arsenal the lead in the first half.
