Gary Neville has once again found himself at the centre of Everton controversy with another hypocritical explanation of the rules.
Everton have been no stranger to poor refereeing decisions and this season has been no different for the Blues.
Even at the weekend, David Moyes ridiculed Chris Kavanagh for his booking after celebrating a last-gasp equaliser.
There have been some baffling, game-defining decisions made against the Toffees this season.
Yannick Bolasie has slammed Neville earlier in the season for his commentary on Everton’s win over Manchester United.
Attwell was on VAR when O’Brien’s goal was dissallowed vs Spurs earlier this season… 🫣
Stuart Attwell.
And the former Everton winger will surely be left mystified by what Neville has now said that affects Everton.
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Gary Neville issues hypocritical Everton reasoning after controversial penalty
In the very first game of the season, James Tarkowski gave away a penalty for a handball at Elland Road.
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Neville thought the penalty against Tarkowski was correct, as he and Jamie Carragher agreed on the referee’s decision.
“I think it’s definitely a penalty. Tarkowski is the type of defender who gets in front of every shot, and he maybe could have composed himself,” said Neville back in August.
Amazing how his opinion has changed when it’s not involving Everton… 🤯
Is anyone even surprised at the levels of hypocrisy anymore? 😡
Gary Neville comments on James Tarkowski's handball against Leeds United.
Credit: Sky Sports/The Overlap
Fast forward to the present and Neville has now done a complete 180 as he is now defending the same type of decision that went against Everton vs Leeds.
“If your arms are up here [high] I think, as a defender, you’re asking for trouble. If your arms are anywhere in the arch of defending like this [alongside your body] you cannot give a penalty against the defender,” Neville said on the latest Stick to Football podcast.
That is not the only decision Everton have had go against them for handball this season.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also had a penalty against him for handball in the opening game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The levels of inconsistency are what really frustrate fans.
David Moyes must be furious with the refereeing standards in the Premier League
Just about every week there seems to be an incident involving Everton and the officiating appointments for the specific game.
Moyes was left fuming with Michael Keane’s red card against Wolves earlier in the year for an alleged pulling of the striker’s hair.
It was a poor decision from the referee, but it was even more perplexing when the panel refused to overturn the suspension.
This has been the case for Everton over the entire 2025/26 campaign, with decisions seemingly going against the Blues on a weekly basis.
Neville’s latest comments only go to highlight the inconsistencies in today’s game.
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