Although they rarely put themselves on the front foot during this evening's FA Cup Merseyside Derby, Everton have good reason to feel aggrieved about the nature of their defeat to Liverpool this evening.
A Mason Holgate "tackle" on Liverpool's Adam Lallana late on in the first-half gave referee Bobby Madley sufficient reason to award the hosts a penalty.
Dispatched by James Milner with typical aplomb, a closer look at the incident would suggest that the Toffees were very hard done by.
While Liverpool fans were quick to hark back to an equally contentious penalty awarded to Everton when the sides met last month, two wrongs don't necessarily make a right in this regard.
A challenge that demonstrated the naivety of Everton's young defender Holgate for co-commentator Martin Keown, the wider reaction suggests that it is Lallana who is deserving of more condemnation here.
Lallana has dived. No doubt.
Will that mean a retrospective ban for him? Doubt it.— Joey Barton (@Joey7Barton) January 5, 2018
Liverpool will say that that’s the penalty decisions evening out
But it was a bit suspect how both Lallana’s legs gave out because Holgate touched his chest— Andy Castell (@AJ3) January 5, 2018
If Dele Alli has done what Lallana just has he’d be banned for 3 games and the media would never stop talking about it! Absolutely pathetic cheating
— HiggyHotspur (@NickHiggy4) January 5, 2018
Another 'modern penalty'. Yep, Holgate has his arms around Lallana - but hardly pulled him down to the floor. Milner converts 1-0.
— Simon Evans (@sgevans) January 5, 2018
Needless to say, there were those that felt Holgate put himself in an invidious decision by raising his arms in the first place.
Four pundits in the BBC studio say no penalty, I thought it was although he made a meal of it Holgate at fault.
— Joe Anderson (@joeando58) January 5, 2018
Lazy from Holgate for the penalty as well. Flat footed and never in a position where he could move his feet to adjust to anything Lallana was going to do. Poor defending #LIVEVE
— David Preece (@davidpreece12) January 5, 2018
If it was a penalty for Lovren’s touch on Calvert-Lewi , it was a pen for Holgate on Lallana. End of.
— Roopa (@LFC_RV) January 5, 2018
Same as Lovren shouldn't have challenged Calvert-Lewin, there was no need for Holgate to give Lallana that opportunity to go down, regardless of how soft a decision it is
— Adam Jones (@Adam_Jones94) January 5, 2018
Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Peter Reid and Danny Murphy in the BBC studio felt that Everton had been hard-done by with Madley's decision.
In the end, an Everton leveler was cancelled out when debutante Virgil van Dijk netted the winner on his Liverpool debut.
You can make your decision by watching the incident play out below.
