""I think it's not deliberate tugging of the hair, certainly not violent, certainly not aggressive," he said. "This was done in an action in the game, on a ball coming up, and unless you have played the game, you might not understand. "I have been a centre-half and there is no way I am jumping to outjump a big centre-forward and think: 'By the way, I am going to outjump him and, at the same time, I am going to pull his hair'."
""I don't know anyone on the planet who is good enough to think that way when they are jumping up. I thought it was a ridiculous decision by the referee, but more by VAR. "Maybe if we all grow our hair longer, we might get a few more red cards and deliberate decisions given against us. It wasn't deliberate today.""
Everton drew 1-1 with Wolves at Hill Dickinson Stadium despite finishing the match with nine men. Michael Keane opened the scoring before a VAR review led to a straight red card in the 83rd minute for tugging Tolu Arakodare's hair while contesting an aerial ball. The dismissal prompted claims that the action was accidental and part of a normal aerial challenge. Jack Grealish received a second red seven minutes later for sarcastically clapping at the referee. The sequence of decisions left teammates and supporters calling the ending bizarre and contentious.
Read at Soccer News
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