Ex-PL referee explains why Arsenal wasn’t given that penalty against Everton

Arsenal was beaten 1-0 by Everton in the Premier League yesterday in one of the shocking results of the weekend.

Mikel Arteta’s table toppers had been hopeful they would earn yet another victory when they travelled to Goodison Park, but they met a determined Everton side with a new manager.

Sean Dyche has just taken over the PL strugglers and his first game in charge was a success after James Tarkowski scored the winner on the hour mark.

However, Arsenal had a shout for a penalty which they believed should have been given after Neal Maupay appeared to foul Gabriel Magalhaes.

The referee was not convinced and after a check, VAR backed the decision, which left the Gunners furious.

However, former referee Peter Walton believed it wasn’t worth a spot-kick and explained via Mirror Football:

“Well actually the initiation of contact was from the Arsenal player so I don’t think this will be given as a penalty kick, certainly there was enough contact there, but not a penalty kick.”

Just Arsenal Opinion

We did not have a good day in that match and certainly felt like we deserved a penalty for that incident.

If it had been awarded to us, the result of the fixture could have been much different, but there is no need to worry about a decision that has been made already.

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Tags Peter Walton

8 Comments

  1. Maupey clearly initiated the contact in aggressively shielding the ball to let it run past him. I’ve never understood if that’s a foul or not. Seems to go either way, so wouldn’t call it an error but the referee.
    I was more annoyed about the goal Everton scored because I didn’t think it was a corner, but hey ho, we should have defended it better.

    1. Yes I’ve always believed it’s obstruction – if you don’t play the ball and prevent another player from doing so, that’s obstruction?

      I’m surprised that no referee ever sees it that way. But PL referees… sigh. Useless bunch.

      1. That reminds me of a penalty I gave away when I was a kid. I shielded the ball out of play for what I thought would be a goal kick, copying what I’d seen players do on TV – the referee said you have to be playing the ball, so it’s not legal to shield a rolling ball with your body. I think maupey’s is less clear cut as you could argue he was shielding it to begin carrying the ball afterwards, but it (obstruction) isn’t a well understood or consistently enforced rule

  2. The damage has beendone.What about the Everton corner which shd have been a goal kick?Everton scored the winner.
    Var and the ref and linesmen have a lot of explaining

  3. That’s not a penalty. Here we go again.If the penalty was against arsenal, won’t you say it’s a soft one?. All these reactions are not needed. They won fair and square..

  4. So even if Gabriel initiated contact (I don’t think he did, but for the sake of his argument)…

    Which rules says that it’s not a foul if the other player initiates contact?

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