Dermot Gallagher has claimed Ebere Eze did not dive, despite being penalised in the 3-2 win for Everton at Crystal Palace, although he doesn't think it was a penalty either.

The ex-referee claimed the officials should have taken the third option and opted to play on after replays showed there was contact between Eze and Jarrad Branthwaite but not enough for a penalty.

Gallagher was joined by former Leeds defender Danny Mills, who claimed although there was contact, Eze still dived because he went down looking for a penalty in somewhat of a contradictory claim.

Gallagher was speaking live on Sky Sports News [11:49] when he gave his verdict: "I won't knock the referee, because I think he is one of the best up-and-coming referees but one thing l think he will learn is that there is a third option: the third option here was play on, which was a much better option, because it wasn't a dive."

Mills then followed up on the claim by saying: "Even though there is a little bit of contact, l think there is still simulation. He is going down for the penalty even though it is not a penalty."

Not a penalty, not a dive

If the contact from Branthwaite was not deemed enough of an infringement to award a penalty after the defender went sliding in the box, the award of a yellow card for the attacker is still somewhat of a bizarre decision.

Replays showed there was contact, and everybody is pretty unanimous on that fact, including Mills who decided it was still a dive, which in this age does give the attacker the right to go down.

Branthwaite's decision to slide in that position was a strange one, particularly having given away a penalty earlier in the game, and he will be hoping to put those mistakes behind him and move on after a blip in his impressive season.

It would have been a soft penalty if it was given, but Everton can breathe a sigh of relief after VAR decided not to oppose the referee's decision which may have seen them fall behind in the game.

Ultimately it is the result that matters, it wasn't a penalty, and Sean Dyche's side went on to leave Selhurst Park with all three points, and three goals, in hand.

In other Everton news, a journalist has claimed one player is now finished at Goodison Park.

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