Ex-PGMOL chief says Everton can feel hard done by vs West Ham as 'deliberate' offence missed

Everton should have been awarded a penalty in their defeat to West Ham.

It’s now two defeats in a row for the Toffees, who have had their European qualification chances dented as a result.

The latest was away to West Ham, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall looked to have rescued a point, only for Callum Wilson to continue his goalscoring record against the Merseysiders to seal all three points for the hosts.

However, Everton can feel hard done by, having had a huge penalty shout waved away in the latter stages of the game.

When reacting to the footage, Keith Hackett believes that Everton should have had a penalty.

Mateus Fernandes gets away with one vs Everton

Whether Everton deserved something from the game based on their performance is one thing, but they certainly deserved the chance to score from the spot.

Mateus Fernandes was grappling with Thierno Barry in the box, which could have been a foul in itself, before his arm moved towards the ball and pushed it away from the striker.

VAR checked and cleared the incident, much to the disbelief of Hackett.

Speaking exclusively to Goodison News, he said: “That use of the hand should have been detected by VAR and brought to the attention of the referee.

“I still go with the illegal use of arms on Barry by Fernandes. In either case, Everton were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty kick.

“That handball offence was deliberate and should have resulted in a penalty kick.”

What are Everton’s European chances after West Ham defeat?

With four games still to be played, the Toffees are still in with a chance of playing European football, but the likelihood is much lower.

Via Opta, they are now predicted to finish 11th in the Premier League table, with a 3.74 per cent chance of qualifying for Europe.

They are forecasted to finish on 52 points, which would see them miss out on a qualification place by only a handful of points.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.

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