Everton and Lampard have every right to be angry at penalty error, more empathy needed over Cash celebration – Mark Halsey

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We had a bit of the good, the bad, and the ugly yesterday.

We’ll start with the ugly – the challenge by Josh Dasilva on Matt Targett. You can understand Mike Dean not seeing the challenge in its entirety in real time because you don’t always get the ideal angle or view.

Darren England rightly recommended the review to Mike Dean and once you see the replay there’s no doubt that a red card was the right decision for a serious foul. So that was the ugly followed by the good.

Then for the bad. Paul Tierney hasn’t got the best view of the handball by Rodri, and if you have any doubt you can’t give it.

It’s all about subjectivity with the handball law, but for me this t-shirt line is nonsense. It has to be handball from the shoulder right down to the hand. The law needs looking at again, because it would make it simpler to give handball.

Rodri got away with this for Man City against Everton

His arm was in an unnatural position, it’s a blatant handball, so you have to ask questions about Chris Cavanagh there. For me, the on-field referee has to make a decision. He should’ve recommended a review, and once he goes to the monitor there would surely only be one outcome.

The protocol is that the on-field referee can disagree with VAR, they have to be mentally tough and mentally strong, but had he been called over, I have no doubt a penalty would’ve been given to Everton.

We’re seeing many inconsistencies with VAR this season, and it’s clear something needs to change. And we need to be part of that conversation, so everybody can understand the decisions they come to. Even if we don’t agree, at least they could then understand it.

In my opinion, the Man City player deliberately handled the ball, and Everton and Frank Lampard have got every right to be angry with that situation.

Finally, Matty Cash took his shirt off to support his friend in the Ukraine. While the referee may technically have been correct within the laws of the game, it’s not always about the law, sometimes it’s about showing empathy.

On this occasion I think everyone would’ve supported John Brooks keeping his cards in his pocket. I’m not criticising John because it was correct by the law, but on this occasion I think he needed to show some empathy for Matty Cash and his friend.

More Stories Frank Lampard Josh Dasilva Mark Halsey matty cash Rodri