Share

Martinez: We deserved more

Cape Town - Roberto Martinez was left ruing referee Michael Oliver's decision not to award Everton a late penalty as they eventually went down 2-1 at Tottenham on Sunday.

The Toffees had taken the lead at White Hart Lane through a Kevin Mirallas thunderbolt after 15 minutes, but Christian Eriksen and Roberto Soldado responded for Spurs before half-time to keep the three points in north London.

However, it appeared as though the Merseysiders had won themselves a stoppage time spot kick after Romelu Lukaku's header hit the hand of Federico Fazio inside the area, but the match official was uninterested and waved the appeals away.

Martinez was still generally pleased with his side's overall performance, but feels they were unlucky not to have salvaged a draw.

"The arm (of Fazio) was not in a natural position, and you feel it's a day that none of the breaks you need at times went in our favour to get a positive result," he was quoted as saying by Football411. "I thought the performance was good enough.

"It's a split decision and you understand that the referee needs to be in the perfect position to spot that. But clearly when you see that Romelu's got a header and the ball just stops, obviously there's been contact.

"I could see from my position that it was handball - I didn't know if [the arm] was in a natural position or not, but obviously in the replay you can see it's not in a natural position.

"It should have been spotted because he should have a clear view of where the contact was."
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE