Lampard feels hair pull should have led to Coventry penalty

What the report says

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard said a first-half incident at Everton should have resulted in a penalty after James Tarkowski appeared to pull Caleb Yirenkyi’s hair during Friday’s Premier League match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Coventry lost 3-1 after leading through Yann Gboho, with Thierno Barry scoring twice and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall adding a late third for the hosts.

Lampard said his team were left unhappy by three major decisions, including the hair-pull claim, a challenge on Taiwo Awoniyi that he felt was a foul just outside the area, and Everton’s second goal, which Coventry believed may have involved a handball. Referee Stuart Attwell did not award a penalty, while the VAR also allowed Barry’s goal to stand.

BBC Sport’s analysis said there was a strong case for a penalty for the hair-pulling incident, noting that the revised law on hair pulling is mainly about whether an action merits a red card, while a simpler foul can still be given for a spot-kick. The report also said the Awoniyi incident appeared to be outside the box and that the VAR did not have conclusive evidence to overturn Barry’s second goal. Everton manager David Moyes rejected the handball claim and also criticised the hair-pulling rule. Coventry remained 16th after the defeat, while Everton moved up to fifth.