In a hectic start to Saturday’s (November 11) match, Eze tripped over Branthwaite’s outstretched leg and then tucked away the resultant spot-kick to cancel out Vitaliy Mykolenko’s opening goal in the first minute.
At first glance, the ruling seemed lenient, but Gray, who doubted Branthwaite’s judgment, believed the Eagles would definitely suffer a penalty.
On beIN Sports’ live coverage, he declared, “It’s a terrible tackle from Branthwaite, 11 November, 15:56.
He started out on the wrong foot, and his body was shaped incorrectly. It was merely a bad tackle, and a penalty was due.
Return with a bang
It’s true that Eze seemed to go down fairly easily, but Branthwaite wasn’t supposed to stick his leg out.
It would have been simple to criticize the Palace attacker for this choice, but any Everton player in his or her place would have made the same one.
Branthwaite simply did not move his body correctly, and Eze’s fast thinking caught him off guard, causing the visiting players a lot of trouble.
Given that Branthwaite was viewed as a major doubt going into the game, how fit was he for this one?
As is the case with any child, errors will occasionally occur. A player’s character can be shaped by how they choose to respond to their mistakes.
