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Relive the key moments as Leeds United secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Everton.
The Premier League returns, bringing familiar refereeing controversies.
Leeds United marked their Premier League comeback with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Everton on Monday, with Lukas Nmecha’s second-half penalty proving decisive.
However, the penalty decision itself was subject to considerable debate.
As Anton Stach unleashed a powerful shot towards goal, Everton defender James Tarkowski appeared to block the ball with his arm, which was positioned close to his body.
Referee Chris Kavanagh hesitated briefly before awarding the penalty, prompting immediate protests from the Everton players.
“As soon as the ref blew I was pretty confident it was going to get overturned,” Tarkowski told Sky Sports. “My first question was ‘if my arm is by my side is it a penalty?’ And he said ‘no’.”
“I’ve since read I leaned into the ball but there was nothing unnatural about my arm being by my side. I can’t understand it. Bizarre.”
Manager David Moyes also labeled the decision “wrong,” raising questions about its validity.
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According to Law 12, governing handball, an offense occurs when a player “touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger.”
The law, detailed on the Football Association’s website, external, further explains that “a player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation.”
However, this is where interpretation becomes challenging.
Prior to the previous season, the handball law underwent a slight relaxation. The Premier League instructed players that they were not obligated to keep their arms rigidly by their sides or behind their backs.
The position of the arm or hand is now judged in relation to the player’s body movement.
“We get a sense that we give too many handballs for actions that are quite normal and justifiable,” refereeing chief Howard Webb stated at the time.
“The guidance to officials this season is ‘less is more’. You will see fewer harsh handball penalties.”
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‘You have to cut Tarkowski’s arm off to avoid penalty’ – Moyes
Pundits were divided on the decision, with some confusion regarding the exact wording of the law.
Former Premier League forward Chris Sutton described the penalty on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club as a “scandal” and “really, really harsh.”
“That’s not a penalty,” he asserted. “That’s absolutely not a penalty. Who knows what the directive is, but his arm is down by his side.”
“We’ll hear David Moyes after – but that’s a scandal, I think. That’s never a penalty.”
Ex-Everton defender Conor Coady, now at Wrexham, added: “I don’t like it. I don’t like the rule – I don’t know what is and isn’t handball these days.”
However, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both concurred on Sky Sports that the referee made the correct decision.
“The guilt was written all over Tarkowski’s face. He knows it is a penalty,” said Neville.
“Tarkowski moved his arm towards the ball. He leans into it and he blocks it. It is a penalty, and he knows what he has done.”
“He knows it is a penalty. He knows that he has made a mistake.”
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Moyes stated that “the referees haven’t had a great weekend” following the game, deeming it a “really poor decision.”
“I’m really disappointed and unless you cut the boy’s hand off, I don’t know where he goes,” he told BBC Sport. “I don’t know if the crowd plays a part in it.”
“I think it’s a really poor decision. VAR [the video assistant referee] had a chance to undo it. They tried to say he was leaning to the ball – surely you’re allowed to lean with your hands by your sides.”
While Moyes and Tarkowski argued Everton’s case, Leeds manager Daniel Farke expressed his “hope that the referee was right.”
“During the game I got the feeling it was a penalty,” he told BBC Sport. “There was an emotional influence by the roar of the home crowd.”
“I was a bit worried the check was so long, but if the check takes that long then surely you can’t overturn it.”
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