Arsenal: Keown baffled Darren England ‘didn’t even see’ goalkeeper obstruction as Lewis-Kelly criticised

Martin Keown has questioned Myles Lewis-Skelly’s decision-making after giving away the crucial penalty in Arsenal’s draw with Everton which saw referee Darren England make several “strange decisions”.

Leandro Trossard gave Mikel Arteta’s side the lead with a well-directed shot into the far corner on the counter-attack but Iliman Ndiaye levelled from the penalty spot after Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have fouled Jack Harrison in the box.

England’s decision to award Everton the penalty along with a number of other calls led Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett to wonder whether he is “frankly good enough” to officiate Premier League games.

Keown agrees it was a “very soft” foul but also believes Lewis-Skelly should perhaps have simply played the ball rather than getting involved in a physical tussle with Harrison.

“Initially, Myles Lewis-Skelly doesn’t really get the flight of the ball and he’s trying to get his body in the way,” Keown said on TNT Sports’ coverage of the match.

“But I don’t believe there’s enough contact there for a penalty and it’s very soft. I’m not sure where the contact is.

“I can understand Harrison wants to go down and there’s a tugging match. But is there any real contact?

“What I would say if I was working with the player: he uses his body brilliantly, it’s one of his strengths,” he added.

“But there are occasions where you just have to go towards the ball.

“That will be one of those where he’ll look back and go, ‘Do you know what? Maybe I should have just tried to clear it’.

“But I’m not sure he’s really made the foul there, but once the referee gives it, I don’t think VAR is going against it.”

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Keown believes England made several “very strange” decisions and was baffled by the referee failing to spot occasions where “the goalkeeper was obstructed”.

“The referee was found wanting today, there were some very strange decisions,” the three-time Premier League winner added.

“There was a couple of times the goalkeeper was obstructed today and the referee didn’t even see it! Anyway, let’s move on.”

Arteta insisted after the game that “there’s no way” referee Darren England should have awarded Everton the penalty.

He said: “I’ve seen it 15 times, there’s no way, in my opinion, that’s a penalty. Because if there is, then O’Brien has to be out and Everton has to play with 10 men, that’s clear.

“After that again, we dominated the game. We didn’t get too much momentum because he’s constantly breaking the play and a big part of that was down to us, because after direct play we get very cheap free-kicks away.

“We had two big chances to win the game, we didn’t convert them, so we have to accept the point.”