Everton's 2-0 loss to Chelsea at the Hill Dickinson Stadium was overshadowed by the challenge involving Morgan Rogers and James Garner. Rogers was already on a yellow card when the incident was reviewed, and it came just two minutes before the break. David Moyes and Mike Dean both said he should have gone off.

Moyes and Dean's verdict

Moyes said the Rogers challenge on Garner “could have been questioned” and added that he did not think the tackle was refereed correctly. On standard.co.uk, he also said some would have seen it as a second yellow, which is why the incident became the match's main flashpoint.

Dean went further. Speaking to standard.co.uk, he said: “I think it’s a minimum yellow. I called red straight away. When you see the angle we’ve seen now, he doesn’t get the ball, Rogers. He might’ve just flicked it, but he catches him with his stud just on the inside of Garner’s knee. I think it’s a straight red me, I really do. I just think it’s not a good tackle at all.”

The match data did not follow that reading. Rogers was booked once, Garner was not booked, and Harrison Armstrong was the Everton player who had already been cautioned earlier in the game.

Neto's brace took the points

The argument over the tackle did not change the scoreline. Pedro Neto scored twice for Chelsea, with his second arriving in the 90th minute, and Everton managed only two shots in the second period.

Joe Cole, speaking on metro.co.uk, said Pickford looked “asleep a little bit there” for Neto's second goal, but also added that Chelsea “deserved it” because Everton “didn't have a chance”. Xabi Alonso said he was “really pleased” with the performance, the win and the clean sheet.

Chelsea's first clean sheet of the season came with the points, but the controversy around Rogers is likely to linger longer than the result. Chelsea were 4th after the win, and the next round of scrutiny will be over whether the tackle was harsh enough for a second yellow or worthy of a straight red.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →