Everton Southampton Oliver
(Credit: Getty Images and Sky Sports)
Keith Hackett
Mon 19 May 2025 16:37, UK
Everton should have been awarded a first half penalty during their win over Southampton, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the seniority of referee Michael Oliver may have stopped VAR from intervening over the decision after Iliman Ndiaye went down in the Saints area.
After 133 years, Everton played their last men’s first-team game at Goodison Park on Sunday (18 May), when they hosted Southampton.
The Toffees are of course now set to move to their new ground on the Bramley-Moore dock from the start of the 2025/26 campaign.
There was disappointment for Everton when captain Seamus Coleman was forced off early on in that game due to injury.
Even so, they were still able to give their home the perfect send off, with two Ndiaye goals sealing a 2-0 win, and the score could have even been more.
Everton
Iliman Ndiaye signed off from Goodison Park in style
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Iliman Ndiaye penalty claims turned down vs Southampton
After the Senegalese international had opened the scoring for David Moyes‘ side, the attacker saw his appeals for a spot kick rejected by Oliver.
Having received the ball inside the Southampton box, Ndiaye went to ground under pressure from Flynn Downes.
The referee though elected not to point to the spot, and although replays showed the Everton man clearly having his shirt pulled before going to ground, VAR did not intervene to overturn the decision.
Hackett believes the hosts deserved a penalty for that incident, and has suggested Oliver’s standing among referees may have stopped VAR from overruling him.
Iliman Ndiaye vs Southampton Total (SofaScore)
Goals 2
Shots on Target 2
Shots off Target 0
Accurate Passes 33/35
Duels Won 4/5
Michael Oliver scrutinised after Everton miss out
After being asked by Football Insider what he made of the decision not to award a penalty for that pull back on Ndiaye, the former referee said:
“Well there’s the shirt pull, that’s an offence, Michael Oliver’s in a good position, he should have penalised that.
“I think the confusion coming in with our referees is that somebody’s talked to them about sustained holding, and I’ve tried to find where that is in the laws of the game, and it isn’t in the laws of the game.
“There’s the laws of the game and then there’s what is termed ‘guidelines’ for referees, that are issued at the same time: Holding an opponent:
‘Referees are reminded to make an early intervention, and to deal firmly with holding offences, especially inside a penalty area, at corner kicks and free kicks to deal with these situations.
‘*The referee must warn any player holding an opponent before the ball is in play; caution the player if the holding continues before the ball is in play; award a direct free kick or penalty kick and caution the player if it happens once the call is in play.*‘
“So there’s a holding offence, there’s nothing about a sustained holding that we’ve listened to the PGMOL spout all season, there’s the latest laws, that’s applied all season.
“So for me, Michael Oliver’s not given it, VAR sure isn’t going to come in, because it’s Michael Oliver.
“That the conditioning, what Michael Oliver says goes. Sorry Michael, this is holding, the shirt’s coming away from the body, that’s a pull, that’s a hold, that’s a penalty kick and I don’t care what the score is!”
Ndiaye has already scored for Everton from the penalty spot this season, and given he went on to get his side’s second here, this may have cost him the chance of a hat-trick in his final Goodison Park game.
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