Everton were “outraged” by Amadou Onana not being sent off during their 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Wednesday, according to Leon Osman.
The Toffees players, including Jordan Pickford, surrounded the referee, demanding Onana receive a second yellow card after committing a cynical foul on Orel Mangala to halt an attack just minutes after Ollie Watkins’ opening goal on January 15.
Commenting on the incident, which saw Pickford booked for dissent, former Everton midfielder and pundit Osman highlighted that players are often sent off in similar situations, though he acknowledged the contact was minimal.
“Everton are furious, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that, they felt a break was on,” Osman said during the live broadcast on Premier League Productions (January 15, 8:40 pm).
“Onana, already on a yellow card, takes Mangala down, and I think there’s an arm on the shoulder. To be honest, Mangala went down quite easily. But you often see in these situations, after a cynical foul is given and an Everton counter is thwarted, a second yellow usually follows.”
“While the contact didn’t seem significant, Onana needs to be even more cautious now.”
Though the contact appeared minimal, Onana undeniably interrupted an Everton counterattack while already on a yellow card, which was enough reason for the referee to issue a red.
It’s also worth noting that Onana got away with another foul earlier in the match after receiving his first yellow in the eighth minute.
While Everton had little to complain about in their defeat to Aston Villa, having failed to create enough chances and being defensively careless at times, Onana certainly escaped punishment on his return to Goodison Park.
It’s hard to say how the match might have unfolded had the Belgian midfielder been sent off with nearly 35 minutes still to play. In the end, Moyes’ hopes of a winning start to his second spell as Everton manager were dashed when Watkins’ goal sealed all three points for Villa.
Furious’ – Leon Osman reacts instantly to Everton v Aston Villa controversy live on air
