Everton winger Anthony Gordon must be careful about developing a reputation for diving after the youngster was denied a penalty in the 2-0 loss to Liverpool.
That is according to former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher, who hailed Gordon but expressed concern for the 21-year-old potentially gaining a deceitful image among Premier League referees.
Gordon was cautioned for an apparent dive in the first half at Anfield following a Naby Keita challenge inside the area, before he saw penalty appeals for a foul by Joel Matip waved away after the interval.
While suggesting his alleged play-acting might be an issue with referees, Carragher believes the latter incident should have seen Gordon and Everton awarded a spot-kick.
He s got to be careful Anthony Gordon, he said on Sky Sports. He s a great lad, a great player – he was one of the best players on the pitch [on Sunday], caused Liverpool all sorts of problems.
But he s got to be careful of that. It s not the first one [dive] and it will be in the referees heads and maybe he hasn t got what he deserved because of a few incidents in three or four other games but that s a stonewall penalty [the Matip foul].
Fellow pundit Graeme Souness echoed Carragher s comments as he suggested Liverpool players will immediately have been pressuring Stuart Attwell following Gordon s first-half booking.
In the very first few minutes when he [Gordon] dived to try and get a penalty, Souness added. You can bet, if we re players out there, we re getting in the referee s ear – he s a diver ref – so you re planting the seed as well.
32 Everton completed 32 passes in the first half at Anfield, the fewest by a team in the opening period of a Premier League game since November 2006 (30 by Watford against Portsmouth). Shell.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
However, Everton manager Frank Lampard questioned whether his side would have received different decisions away from Anfield.
I think they both could have been penalties but you often don t get them at Anfield, Lampard told BBC Sport.
The fact there s contact and he gets booked is crazy. The second one was a foul [anywhere else] on the pitch. Sometimes you don t get them here.
In his post-match news conference, Lampard added: If that was [Mohamed] Salah at the other end, he gets a penalty. You don t get them here. That s the reality of football sometimes.
Gordon, meanwhile, was infuriated.
The second one for me was the strongest, I ve gone one-on-one with him and I ve got the better of him and he s stood on my foot which has caused me severe pain and I ve gone down, Gordon told Sky Sports when asked about his two penalty claims.
The first one I ve watched back, I ve felt the contact and went down, but I can see why he hasn t given it but it s certainly not a yellow card or a dive because there s contact.
50 Liverpool (79) sit 50 points above Everton (29) in the Premier League table, the joint-biggest lead the Reds have had over their Merseyside rivals in the competition at the end of a day (also 50 at the end of 2019-20). Bragging.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
Defeat left Everton in the relegation zone after 32 matches for the first time since April 1999, following Burnley s win over Wolves, and the Toffees are 50 points behind Liverpool – the joint-biggest lead the Reds have had over their Merseyside rivals.
Lampard also expressed his pride in Everton s performance, with their game plan clear – their 32 passes in the first half was the fewest by a team in the first half of a Premier League game since November 2006 – before Liverpool s quality told in the end.
They re in a different area to us. They re near the top of the table, they ve been together a long time and have a strong style of play, he said.
We had to be organised and disciplined. I couldn t ask for more at half-time except taking our chances. I m proud and happy with the performance. We have to take that spirit forward to the final games.
