Not really sure...but it looked to me like the ball got away from him and he went down very very easily.
HT Amen to that...I like Osman in the middle. Donovan for sure was clipped in the penalty area as he was clearing Rickets with a burst... Wind makes this game fun, seems to be swirling and making things really really tough on the GK and any Route 1 balls. LD looks good, 80% of time ball played up left side where he is, there is some action on goal
It doesn't matter how slight the contact is. Not much is needed when you're moving at high speeds and Everton lost a better chance than even a PK would have provided because of the contact, so it should have been awarded.
Looked like a dive to me. I'm a Donovan fan but he is up to a little diving once and a while. Looked like a gimme of a goal, but maybe he pushed the ball too far ahead. Heck, it all happened so quickly.
I think the color announcer had it right when he said, "Had Ricketts committed that outside of the box, for sure there would've been a foul called. But because it was inside of the box, it changed the dynamic, forcing the ref to make a non-call unless he was completely convinced it was a penalty."
Everton playing the type of game you'd expect from a team fielding two defenders in the midfield and a right-footed center-mid at left-wing, all on a really windy day. Maybe Rodwell changes that? Also announcers do seem to be giving Donovan the benefit of the doubt on that non-call due to his reputation (basically saying they're still unsure after multiple replays but he's just not that type of player so he must have been clipped). Hopefully Donovan maintains that reputation during his loan spell.
I'm still undecided on that Donovan incident... It kind of looks like he dove but when you're running that fast it's easy to go down on a slight clip. Some refs would have given it, too bad the one in this game didn't.
Why would he dive when he was 1 on 1 with the keeper and the ball was still in close proximity to his foot when he started going to ground? Think about it.
Because he knew his touch got away from him. He felt Ricketts brush past his shoulder and decided to go to ground. It's pretty clear, I'd love to see a gif of it to confirm.
I call this one a 0-0. Bolton is fighting to avoid dropping to the Championship, and frankly Everton lacks the strength to break a bunker. Bolton showed in the first half that they can control possession. Now, they'll bunker and hope for a counter. Since they lack the tools for fast counters, they won't score either.
He went down as soon as the touch was made. There was no delayed reaction. That would have had to be some quick thinking.
now the commentators are saying that LD is fast. Howard rescues Everton with another fine save. "Everton all over the place." keep this up, and the home team will find themselves trailing.