David Moyes has lashed out at Premier League referees for having a “poor weekend”, after his Everton side fell to a 1-0 defeat against Leeds following a controversial penalty decision late on.
The Toffees were far from impressive last night, and Moyes has not glossed over that fact.
But his side were just six minutes, plus stoppage time, away from grinding out a 0-0 draw against a feisty and aggressive Leeds side at Elland Road - there are many positives in that.
**ARE YOU READING THIS ON OUR APP? DOWNLOAD NOW FOR THE BEST GB NEWS EXPERIENCE**
But it was taken away from them when referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot in the 84th minute, effectively handing the three points to Leeds.
Everton skipper James Tarkowski was incensed by the decision
|GETTY
New signing Anton Stach, who had been supreme in the middle of the park throughout the night, struck a fierce shot from the edge of the box that took a deflection from Keirnan Dewsbury-Hall.
The deflection was not particularly close to Everton skipper James Tarkowski, but the 32-year-old had to put his body in the way of the shot that was heading towards goal. The only problem being that he leaned with his arm, albeit by his side.
Following the game, Tarkowski described the decision as "bizarre".
"The linesman gave it apparently. He was 45 yards away and I don't understand how can he see what I've done with my arm from the angle"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 18, 2025
James Tarkowski says it was a 'bizarre' decision to award a penalty against him 🧐 pic.twitter.com/0p7NIzxTbN
“[It’s] not a penalty. As soon as the ref blew, I was pretty confident it was going to get overturned,” the former Burnley defender said to Sky Sports.
The skipper, along with boss Moyes, led the protests after the game, but the objections came too late as Leeds found the back of the net.
Moyes made his feelings clear in his post-match press conference, blasting not only the decision but the standard of officiating throughout the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
**SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY GB NEWS SPORTS NEWSLETTER HERE**
“I’m obviously going to say it’s not a penalty and I believe it’s not a penalty,” the 62-year-old said of the winning goal. “I’ve been to see the referee.
“The referee sort of took nothing to do with it, he thought it was to do with VAR, the decision they’ve made. I don’t know what else I can say.
“I actually think the referees have had a poor weekend in the opening weekend. I think there have been a lot of [poor] decisions and tonight’s is another one.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
After the game, David Moyes blasted Premier League officiating throughout the opening weekend
|YouTube
“The rules are supposed to be that if you keep your hands down to your side, and if anything, he’s tried to get it behind his back as well.
“The ball takes a deflection on the flight as well. You’re allowed to block it and he’s leaned towards the ball, we accept that. We saw one on Friday night [in Liverpool vs Bournemouth] that wasn’t given, which looked far clearer a handball than what it was tonight.”
The penalty decision overshadowed what was an underwhelming performance from Moyes’ side.
The Scottish boss criticised the Everton board during Everton’s pre-season, demanding new signings to bolster his squad.
Last night showed there is still much room for improvement, although some new additions got a first run-out, including England star Jack Grealish.
The 29-year-old got 25 minutes of action during a time when Everton’s dominance in the game was beginning to wane, but the winger showed glimpses of what he can add to the Toffees.
Speaking on the exciting new addition, Moyes said: “Jack’s trained really well. I just want to bring him in at the right time rather than the expectations be too high, too quickly for him.
“I think he’s very rarely played two games in a row. He’s very rarely played three games in a row, so if you look into his history, we need to bring him on at the right times.”
Everton look to right the wrongs of Elland Road on Sunday as they host Brighton, marking the first competitive senior men’s game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.