Lampard criticises refereeing after Coventry's 3-1 loss to Everton

Coventry City fell 3-1 to Everton on Friday, with manager Frank Lampard questioning three decisions that he believes disadvantaged his side. The visitors took the lead after Yann Gboho scored in the second half, but Everton rallied with a Thierno Barry brace and a late goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to secure the win.

Lampard argued that a hair-pull by James Tarkowski on Caleb Yirenkyi should have been penalised. He said, "> They're saying it's not enough of a pull and I think it's a hard area to be in. What is a hair pull? You've decided it is but it's not enough."

He added that, although the rule change this season means hair-pulling is not automatically a foul or a red card, he felt the incident met the criteria for a penalty. Lampard also claimed Taiwo Awoniyi was fouled by Vitalii Mykolenko inside the box and that Barry’s second goal involved a handball, despite VAR referee Timothy Wood ruling otherwise.

Everton manager David Moyes rejected the handball allegation and said the hair-pull rule needs further review, stating, "> The hair pull rule has changed so it would be a booking if it was but I still think it's ridiculous that rule is in the game."

The three contentious calls left Coventry in 16th place in the Premier League, with Lampard suggesting that different decisions could have altered the result.