Alan Shearer is the latest pundit to voice his frustration at the harsh handball decision against Everton's James Tarkowski that saw Leeds awarded a penalty in the Toffees' 1-0 defeat on Monday
James Tarkowski makes contact with the ball which subsequently leads to a penalty during the match between Leeds United and Everton at Elland Road on August 18, 2025
Everton were on the receiving end of a controversial penalty decision against Leeds(Image: Peter Nicholls/Everton FC Official Photography Library/SmartFrame)
Alan Shearer branded the Premier League’s handball law as a “s*** show” after the penalty decision given against James Tarkowski on Monday. Everton lost their first game of the season at newly-promoted Leeds United, with Lukas Nmecha’s late penalty being the only goal of the game.
However, the decision to award the spot-kick stirred up controversy. As Anton Stach struck the ball goalward, Everton defender Tarkowski leaned to his left in an attempt to block the shot.
The ball hit his arm, which was tucked in a natural position to the side of his body. But after a moment’s hesitation, referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot, leaving Toffees players furious.
A baffled Tarkowski told Sky Sports after the decision cost David Moyes’ side a point: "As soon as the ref blew I was pretty confident it was going to get overturned. 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."
Pundit Shearer was left similarly bemused by the referee’s call and VAR’s failure to overturn the decision as he took aim at the league’s handball laws, which he believes are currently too complicated to be implemented effectively and lack common sense.
Gary Lineker speaking on the Stick to Football podcast
Gary Lineker tried to justify the decision(Image: YouTube/The Rest Is Football)
The Rest Is Football podcast co-host Gary Lineker began by saying about the Tarkowski incident: “I suppose I’m playing devil’s advocate here, because I agree it was very, very harsh. But if you are leaning towards the ball, the first thing that goes is your arm towards the ball.”
Shearer was having none of it, however, saying: “But he’s still in a natural position. It’s still down by his side. It’s still down by his side, and it’s taking a deflection.
“I just think the handball law is an absolute s***show. It’s a shambles. It is. They have tried so many things that have just not worked. And how many times are we seeing it?
Alan Shearer responds to the Alexander Isak situation while appearing on The Rest Is Football podcast
Alan Shearer blasted the handball law(Image: youtube.com/@therestisfootball)
“The handball law, to me, just needs to be really simple. Is it deliberate handball or not? What’s wrong with that?”
A frustrated David Moyes commented after the game: “The goal is completely wrong, really harsh. Leeds were better than us on the night, certainly in the first half but it is hard to lose on that.
“It took a deflection. Tarky would have had to get his arm chopped off. They seem to think that because you lean, your arms can go away. You’re allowed to lean in football.
James Tarkowski of Everton reacts following a hand ball incident
James Tarkowski couldn't understand the decision
(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
“It hasn’t been a good week for me. That decision was a poor decision. VAR had a chance to get that decision right and fair, and that wasn’t fair.”
The Everton boss certainly has a right to feel hard done by. According to the FA’s Law 12, which covers handball, an infringement occurs when a player "touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger".
The law, which is listed on the Football Association's website, also 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, ahead of last season, the handball law was relaxed slightly, further adding to the confusion. Players were informed by the Premier League that they no longer had to move with their arms rigidly by their sides or behind their backs, with the position of their arm or hand being judged only in relation to the movement of their body.
"We get a sense that we give too many handballs for actions that are quite normal and justifiable," PGMOL chief Howard Webb said at the time. "The guidance to officials this season is 'less is more'. You will see fewer harsh handball penalties."