FLOP TILL YOU DROP
Toffees collapse keeps them in danger as boss blames officials
FRANK LAMPARD blamed referee Michael Oliver and his officials after Everton missed the chance to secure their Premier League safety.
The Blues were leading 1-0 when they had Jarrad Branthwaite sent off and the Goodison boss claimed his side should have had a penalty for a shirt pull on Richarlison seconds before.
Their 10 men led 2-1 before Brentford scored twice to turn the game on its head and Everton finished with nine players when Salomon Rondon was dismissed late on.
Everton stay two points clear of Burnley in the final relegation place, with Thursday’s home match against Crystal Palace to come before Sunday’s finalday game at Arsenal.
And a first relegation since 1951 remains possible after another disappointing showing, although Lampard is convinced the spot-kick call was a turning point. He said: “I thought it was a penalty, it was a clear shirt pull, it’s a foul in the box.
“My players have been criticised when they shouldn’t be for going down recently for fouls that are fouls so I think that was a penalty. I can’t complain with the red after that.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for the referee and the VARs because they do one of the toughest jobs.
“The reality is we’re on bad end of a lot of decisions this season. Penalty on the shirt pull maybe means 2-0 and 11 men and I think we all know how that game goes.
“I’m fed up speaking about it because this has happened regularly against us.
“I’m probably going to do a Zoom charge this week and put my case from the Liverpool game so what’s the point in me saying too much about it now?”
Everton took a 10th-minute lead through Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s first goal since August but Brentford levelled when Seamus Coleman turned in
Yoane Wissa’s cross eight minutes before the break,
Richarlison won and scored a penalty in first-half stoppage time. It was in the second half it unravelled, with Brentford scoring twice in three minutes just after the hour through Wissa and Rico Henry
Bees boss Thomas Frank said: “The so-called experts say we have gone on holiday, that we have nothing to fight for. But we want to win every game we play for the Brentford fans and because we respect the league.”