Tarkowski: Bizarre Penalty Decision Cost Everton

James Tarkowski says he “can’t understand” why he was penalised for a handball against Leeds United on Monday evening – and believes the “bizarre” decision proved costly for Everton.

The Blues opened their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 defeat at Elland Road, the game’s only goal arriving from a Lukas Nmecha spot kick on 84 minutes.

The penalty was awarded by referee Chris Kavanagh for a handball against Everton skipper Tarkowski, after his attempted block on Anton Stach’s drilled and deflected effort from outside of the penalty area.

Bouncing up from the deflection, the ball hit the defender’s arm by his side, and following a VAR check, the penalty was confirmed.

Giving his immediate reaction to the crucial moment in the contest, Tarkowski said: “[It’s] not a penalty. As soon as the ref blew, I was pretty confident it was going to get overturned.

“My first question to him was, ‘If my arm was by my side, which it was, is it a penalty?’ To which he said, ‘No’. And then I've since read that I leaned into the ball, but there's nothing unnatural about my arm being by my side.

“So, the ball's allowed to hit your arm. It's just not allowed to be away from your body unnaturally, which it wasn't. So I can't really understand it, really. The linesman gave it, apparently, but he's 45 yards away. And I don't understand how he can see what I've done with my arm from that angle.

"So a bizarre, bizarre moment. And, yeah, it cost us the point in the end."

Continuing his recollection of the game’s key event, Tarkowski revealed he saw the deflected strike at the “last second”.

“I'm moving across, there's a lot of bodies in front of me,” he explained. “The lad struck it at pace, it took a deflection on the way past, I see it at the last second.

“I'm allowed to move my body in towards the direction of the ball. If it hits my arm and it's by my side, I don't think that's a penalty, so even the description of saying I leaned into the ball, doesn't make sense to me.

“I really can't understand it and it cost us a point in the end, as I said.”

The Blues struggled to settle in the first half against an energetic Leeds side, but David Moyes’ men put in an improved display in the second period, registering all seven of their shots after half-time.

Everton also had more possession than the hosts following the interval and looked like edging their way in front mid-way through the half.

“We probably weathered the storm for too long, really,” said Tarkowski, explaining the Toffees’ slow start. “We knew it was going to be maybe the first 15 or 20 minutes to weather the storm. We ended up weathering it for the full half, but then we came out second half, played a lot better without creating loads of chances.

“We moved the ball a bit better, and we were in the game, and to be honest, I never felt in danger throughout. For most of the game, I never really felt like they were going to score a goal. And obviously the penalty decides it.”

Asked if the result shows further new additions are required within the squad, Tarkowski added: “I’m sure it’s pretty open that we need players through the door.

“We lost a load in the summer, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a couple more through the door.”