David Moyes said Morgan Rogers’ tackle on James Garner could have been questioned after Everton’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea at Hill Dickinson.
The Everton manager said he did not think it was a free kick and added that he felt the decision was unfair. His comments came after a match in which Everton stayed in it for long spells, only for Chelsea to strike 44 seconds into the second half through Pedro Neto.
That goal changed the shape of the game. Everton had battled through a tight first half, but Moyes said the quick goal after the break was a blow. Pedro Neto later scored again as Chelsea finished the job and took a rare win at Everton.
Moyes did not focus only on that challenge. He pointed to a run of decisions and moments that he felt went against his side, including a Harrison Armstrong tackle that he said was not refereed correctly. He also said Everton had parts of the game where they did okay, but that they did not create enough and did not make enough chances.
The Everton boss singled out Thierno Barry’s header as one of the better openings his side had, but said he could not think of too many more. In his view, that was the biggest issue as much as anything else: Everton were competitive, but not dangerous often enough against a Chelsea side with more flair and ability.
The win moved Chelsea up to fourth in the Premier League, where they will stay all weekend unless Brentford beat Liverpool in the upcoming 3pms or Brighton lose 10-0 at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday. For Everton, though, the discussion after the final whistle was less about the table and more about whether key refereeing calls changed the tone of the night.
It was the kind of post-match frustration that can linger. Everton had a tough result to absorb, and Moyes made clear he felt at least one major challenge involving Morgan Rogers and James Garner should have been looked at differently.
