Refereeing body PGMOL has accepted James Tarkowski should have been sent off in Everton’s Merseyside derby defeat.
Tarkowski was booked in the 11th minute of Wednesday’s Anfield encounter for a flying challenge on Alexis Mac Allister after initially winning the ball.
Referee Sam Barrott sanctioned The Blues’ stand-in captain with a yellow card and avoided further punishment when the incident was sent to VAR.
The Premier League’s Match Centre confirmed the decision to only caution Tarkowski was as a result of his follow through on the Reds’ midfielder.
But the PGMOL have now conceded that the 32-year-old should have seen the card upgraded to a dismissal due to the nature of the foul on Mac Allister.
Tarkowski cannot face any retrospective disciplinary action over the incident as a result of his initial booking and VAR Paul Tierney’s subsequent review.
David Moyes admitted post-match that his side were ‘lucky’ not to be reduced to 10 men in the opening stages of their eventual 1-0 defeat due to the tackle.