Everton were denied a penalty in the Merseyside derby yesterday against Liverpool at Anfield, according to Sky Sports journalist Alan Myers.

He replied to a tweet from Everton player Anthony Gordon after the game, which was a video of the incident, saying "All day long, penalty!". Many are likely to agree with him and believe that it was harsh not to give the decision in favour of the Toffees.

Liverpool ended up claiming a 2-0 victory with goals from Andy Robertson and Divock Origi, but it wasn't made easy for them with Everton battling it out in a heated game that was still all square at half time.

The decision will leave Everton supporters fuming as the opportunity could have brought them back into the game at a time when they are desperate for the points. Frank Lampard's men sit in the relegation zone and are in a huge battle for survival.

These days it's never a game of football, let alone a local derby, without a controversial decision. With the addition of VAR technology, officials have no excuse not to be getting the big calls right. The challenge on Gordon yesterday was quickly dismissed by referee Stuart Attwell, and despite being in the box, the tackle wasn't even reviewed by VAR.

Even The Professional Game Match Officials Board said they would have had "no complaints" if the penalty was awarded to Everton with manager Lampard stating that it was "a clear foul" but that "you don't get them here."

It raises the question once again as to whether the size of a club and its home crowd have any influence on the decisions that officials make? Gordon was booked for diving earlier on in the game before the penalty denial so did that play a part in Attwell's decision too?

Former Toffees striker Kevin Campbell seems to think so, saying that the referee "bottled it" and that the decision was there to be made but he didn't make it.

In games as big as the Merseyside derby, when there is a lot riding on the result for both sides, the referee is going to take a lot longer to think about the decisions he makes which allows doubt to creep in. The point of VAR is to prevent this and to assist the official on the field with the aid of replays and footage from different angles.

We certainly think that the technology should have been used a lot more in the game and if it was it would have produced a much fairer outcome for both sides. Last season VAR awarded 29 penalties and so has proven to be used successfully when it comes to these decisions, however, yesterday wasn't one of those.

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