MADLEY IS SIMPLY NOT UP TO IT
I CANNOT understand what Bobby Madley was doing sending off Kyle Walker. First, if he thought it was an elbow — and he must have done — why did he not show a straight red? It’s a mystery to me. Instead he showed a second yellow, making a total mess of it. It means City cannot appeal (they could have appealed a straight red). It was a foul, nothing more, although Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin did not cover himself in glory with his reaction. Morgan Schneiderlin’s second yellow was correct but on the soft side. When you’ve sent one off (perhaps knowing it was harsh or wrong) your tolerance level drops and you inadvertently lower the bar. It’s why fans complain referees try to ‘level things up’. The bottom line is that this ref is not good enough and this game was too big for him.