Everton have already had some decisions go against them this campaign, and things could be about to worsen.
The Premier League refereeing doesn’t seem to have improved over the summer, and certainly hasn’t worked out for Everton.
James Tarkowski found the Leeds United penalty ‘bizarre’ as Chris Kavanagh penalised the defender for a dodgy decision to say the least.
For the second game week running, Stuart Atwell gave a ‘harsh’ penalty against Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, showing that it’s not been the best start from the officials.
Now, the next referee awaiting the Toffees might not get the biggest cheer from Blues fans.
Referee Michael Oliver.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Referee Michael Oliver has been appointed for Wolves vs Everton
David Moyes will be frustrated with the decisions not going the way of Everton, but it’s still left them in good nick early on in the Premier League.
However, some luck is needed in the refereeing department, as two debatable decisions given early on haven’t helped.
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Now, Michael Oliver will be in charge of the meeting at Molineux as an intriguing test at Wolves awaits.
It seems like the Blues have a history with every referee in the league, but the Toffees’ past with Oliver doesn’t bode well.
Michael Oliver has a questionable history of refereeing Everton
For once, it would be nice if a few decisions went the way of the Blues, but with Oliver it’s not a good look.
The most iconic one against the Toffees was his decision to award Gabriel Jesus’ goal against Everton in the 89th minute, believing it hadn’t touched his arm back in May 2024.
Gabriel Jesus’ handball for Arsenal’s second goal (2:30)
In no surprise, this caused uproar, as it’s blatantly clear that the Brazilian has gained an advantage by using his arm.
But this hasn’t been the only incident involving the referee and Everton in recent years.
In March 2024, Oliver was on VAR duty in a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth, and decided not to award a penalty for a clear trip on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin should have been awarded a penalty for a trip (1:15)
This raised bafflement as former referee Keith Hackett said Oliver ‘let down his colleague’ with a decision which once again cost the Blues.
So, it’s not the most promising look ahead of the trip to Wolves, but here’s to hoping for Everton.