Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville had their say on the key moment in Everton's defeat to Leeds United
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Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville on Sky Sports(Image: Getty Images)
Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville were in agreement that Leeds United were correctly awarded their match-winning penalty against Everton. James Tarkowski was perhaps harshly judged to have handled the ball in the 82nd minute and Lukas Nmecha scored the resulting kick from 12 yards.
The Blues began their Premier League campaign at Elland Road with defeat. It was decided by the late penalty conceded by captain Tarkowski for what referee Chris Kavanagh eventually deemed handball following a pause to think.
The Premier League match centre account on X, which provides explanations for all decisions referred to VAR, followed the incident with a statement for the officials' rationale.
It read: "The referee's call of penalty for handball by Tarkowski was checked and confirmed by VAR - with it deemed that he leaned into the ball with his arm."
The call against Everton was extremely controversial, with Tarkowski saying on Sky Sports: "It's not a penalty. As soon as the ref blew, I was pretty confident it was going to get overturned.
"My first question to him was 'If my arm was by my side - which it was - is it a penalty?' To which he said no.
"I've since read that I leaned into the ball, but there's nothing unnatural about my arm being by my side. The ball's allowed to hit your arm, it's just not allowed to be away from your body unnaturally, which it wasn't.
"I can't understand it, really."
But Monday Night Football pundits Carragher and Neville unanimously agreed with the referee's final decision, going against the Everton defender's protests.
"I think it is [handball]. Tarkowski knows what he's doing and it's something I would do," Carragher admitted.
"The only thing I'm thinking is 'has he lost his bearings?' He is in the middle of the box, but it's a split second decision.
"It takes a late deflection and maybe it's just reflexes."
Following on, Neville added: "I think it's definitely a penalty. Tarkowski is the type of defender that feels he needs to get in front of every single shot and what I mean is that he maybe he could've composed himself, let the ball go through to Pickford who would've saved it.
"The guilt written all over his face, Tarkowski knows it's a penalty. He's blocked it from such a distance.
It leaves Everton as one of seven Premier League clubs to experience defeat in their opening match of the season but they have chance to get off the mark when they host Brighton in their inaugural top-flight match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.