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PGMOL chief Howard Webb has offered his opinion on the decision not to award Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin a penalty against Newcastle United

PGMOL chief Howard Webb has spoken on the decision not to award Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin a penalty against Newcastle United following Dan Burn's challenge

PGMOL chief Howard Webb has waded into the Dominic Calvert-Lewin penalty row after the Everton striker was left stunned by Craig Pawson’s decision not to award him a spot-kick in the goalless draw with Newcastle United. Pawson, who ECHO columnist Michael Ball highlighted, has made a string of controversial calls in Blues matches, from Allan getting sent off against Newcastle United in 2022, Phil Jagielka’s straight red at Wolves in 2018 and the Merseyside Derby at Anfield last year when he didn’t show Ibrahima Konate a second yellow card, went over to his pitchside monitor to give the Magpies a penalty (which Jordan Pickford saved from Anthony Gordon) after a VAR check on James Tarkowski’s off-the-ball challenge on Sandro Tonali, but the Stockley Park chiefs dismissed Calvert-Lewin’s claims.

An explanation was put out on the large screens at Goodison Park, reading: “The referee’s call of no penalty for the challenge between Calvert-Lewin and Burn is checked and confirmed by the VAR, deeming Calvert-Lewin kicked the back of Burn’s leg.” Everton’s number nine was flabbergasted by the ruling and said: “I think everyone can make their own mind up when they see it back. I’ve seen it back and I don't know what more you have to do to get a penalty.

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“I'm about to put the ball in the back of the net and obviously he’s obstructing me. It’s frustrating and like I say, those things over the course of a season hopefully pay you back and I didn’t get the one here but hopefully I get the next one.”

Calvert-Lewin’s fellow Yorkshireman Webb, who was a Premier League referee from 2003-14 and is now the technical director of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, the body responsible for refereeing games in English professional football, told Match Officials Mic’d Up: “I don’t think it’s a penalty either. I think it’s a really good on-field judgment as well. We see that Nick Pope makes a save and the ball rebounds and then two players, Calvert-Lewin and Burn, are moving towards that loose ball.

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“Importantly, Burn moves in a straight line in a normal way and gets his foot in front of Calvert-Lewin. He doesn’t deviate his foot into Calvert-Lewin or move towards him in that way.

“Of course we see Calvert-Lewin then swinging to take a shot and making contact with Burn from behind, but Burn’s foot is already there in a pretty normal way so I don’t think it’s a foul by Burn and I think it’s all a normal coming-together between the two players and a good judgment on the field.”

In his post-match press conference, Everton manager Sean Dyche said: “I don’t know where it is with penalties. I know our record is awful, we don’t get them. If that is in the middle of the pitch, everyone in the stadium thinks it is a foul.”

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Everton have yet to be awarded a penalty this season with Calvert-Lewin also denied on the opening day against Brighton & Hove Albion despite Simon Hooper initially pointing to the spot following a challenge from Lewis Dunk. The referee then overturned his original call after viewing the pitchside monitor.

The Blues were not awarded a penalty until their 27th Premier League game last season (ironically by Pawson, but after a VAR check when he failed to spot Kurt Zouma’s handball in real time), while every other team awarded at least one spot-kick (Chelsea and Arsenal had eight apiece; Liverpool had seven; Manchester City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United had five; West Ham United, Luton Town, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa had four; Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford had three; and Fulham had two) with some 73 given in total before Dyche’s men got their first.