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Clattenburg delivers verdict on penalty incident v Palace

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Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has backed referee Anthony Taylor for rewarding Crystal Palace with a penalty after a challenge from Everton’s Seamus Coleman.

Coleman brought down Palace winger Wilfried Zaha in the box, and believes that the decision to award a penalty in the aftermath of the foul was “100% correct”.

He added that despite 25-year-old Zaha being infamous for his dives in the past, Coleman was just not quick enough for the speedster this time, saying that it was his trailing leg catching Zaha that resulted in him being brought down.

“Seamus Coleman’s challenge on Wilfried Zaha was a foul and the decision to award a penalty was 100 per cent correct,” he said on the Daily Mail website.

“Zaha has been guilty of diving in the past but he was too quick for Coleman here, moving the ball away from the defender, whose trailing leg clearly catches the winger.”

OPINION

Situations like these can be hard to judge, but Clattenburg reckons that Taylor got it spot on to award an penalty to Crystal Palace. Many Everton fans would have bemoaned the decision at the time – especially with Zaha being notorious for his diving – but the decision was correct. Coleman was by no means aggressive with his foul on the winger, but at the end of the day, if you bring a player like Zaha down in the box, there is always that chance that a penalty will be awarded. Coleman should have known better than to challenge the 25-year-old in the box, but that is now in the past, and he can be thankful that his team spared his blushes. Luckily for Coleman, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford did the job he is paid to do – even if it was not a well-taken penalty. It may have been a soft call, but it was still a penalty nonetheless.

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