David Moyes and Jack Grealish expressed their dissatisfaction with the referee's decisions during Everton's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool. The match, held on Saturday, saw Liverpool secure victory with first-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike. Despite Idrissa Gueye scoring for Everton before the hour mark, Liverpool maintained their lead.
Moyes has yet to win in 21 Premier League matches at Anfield, a record for any manager at a single venue without a victory. Everton's overall performance against Liverpool in the Premier League has been lacklustre, with only 11 wins out of 67 encounters, translating to a win rate of just 16%. Moyes felt that his team deserved more from the match.
The Everton manager questioned several officiating decisions,
including Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's booking for taking a quick free-kick. "We were much closer," Moyes told BBC Match of the Day. "The performance in the second half warranted us to get something, but we gave too much in the first half. " He highlighted how the referee controlled the game, hindering Everton's ability to play swiftly.
Jack Grealish, who joined Everton on loan over the summer, was pivotal in their attempted comeback. He created three chances and delivered five crosses, both game highs. Grealish shared Moyes' frustration and praised Everton's second-half improvement. "It [the Merseyside derby] was what I expected," he told TNT Sports.
Grealish criticised the referee's inconsistency and noted that if they had played as they did in the second half from the start, it could have been a different outcome. "Frustrating because if we had played like we did in the second half. it would have been a different game," he said.
Controversial Referee Decisions
The match ended with Everton having nine shots, two on target, accumulating an expected goals (xG) of 0.6 compared to Liverpool's 0.94 from 11 attempts. Grealish was booked after full-time for protesting against these decisions. He found it unusual that players were penalised for quick free-kicks and questioned the short stoppage time.
"I get that sometimes you want to let the game go," Grealish remarked about refereeing inconsistencies. He also credited Moyes for revitalising his career at Everton: "I've come here, and he's [Moyes] been so good with me. I love playing for him. "
Moyes' Influence on Grealish
Grealish expressed gratitude towards Moyes for reigniting his passion for football since joining Everton. "I thank him for giving me my love back," he said. Despite not achieving victory against Liverpool, Grealish remains optimistic about future matches and aims to make significant contributions.
The match highlighted ongoing challenges faced by Everton at Anfield and underscored frustrations with officiating decisions that impacted their performance. Both Moyes and Grealish remain hopeful about improving results in upcoming games.
