David Moyes in no mood to accept apology

Oct 22 2007 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

DAVID MOYES has summed up his anger towards Merseyside derby referee Mark Clattenburg by declaring: “I wouldn’t even take a phone call from him after that performance.”

The Everton manager was seething after accusing the official of getting three key decisions wrong as his side were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool in dramatic circumstances on Saturday.

Everton were leading 1-0 through Sami Hyypia’s own goal when Liverpool were awarded a penalty, which Dirk Kuyt converted, for a foul by Tony Hibbert on Steven Gerrard.

Moyes was critical of that decision then derided Clattenburg for sending Hibbert off, appearing to swap his yellow card for a red one after Gerrard’s protest.

Kuyt then escaped with a yellow for a two-footed lunge at Phil Neville then Moyes was at a loss to explain why the referee refused to point to the spot when Joleon Lescott was manhandled and hauled down in the area by Jamie Carragher in injury time.

That incident occurred moments after Neville became Everton’s second man to be sent off for a handball that led to Kuyt scoring his second spot-kick and left Moyes in despair after seeing victory turn to defeat.

“I try not to speak about referees,” said Moyes. “I try to make a point of saying it’s a hard job but his decisions are really, really wrong today.

“They are all honest people and all do a good job but today he didn’t do a good job so he’s cost my team and Everton something from the game.

“They will probably suspend him for one game and think that’s okay but it does us no good at all because his decisions today have cost us.

“I think when it comes down to it, we say if he gives a penalty at the end, which was so clear, we may have said okay, he got a couple of decisions wrong, but the one in the final second is so blatant you add up the others and it makes it remarkable.

“If he wanted to apologise, I wouldn’t even take a phone call from him after that performance.”

And Moyes also appeared to agree with a suggestion that decisions were influenced by a dynamic between referees and players from the top four clubs, replying: “Did he (Clattenburg) go to Asia with Liverpool in the Asia Trophy?”

Although Kuyt didn’t make contact with Neville in the challenge that angered Moyes, he clearly flew in two-footed as the Everton captain managed to avoid him.

If, like their opponents, Liverpool had been reduced to 10 men at that stage, Moyes feels his team were playing well enough to have gone on to win the game.

He added: “I got a chance to glance down to see it at the time and I couldn’t believe it, that he was able to launch two feet off the ground.

“You can draw comparisons with Jon-Obi Mikel in the Man United v Chelsea game, when you wonder if one foot is on the ground when the other is up but that was two feet that were two feet up in the air.

“This was a big match for us for many reasons, but we wanted three points in the Premier League. I said to the players that they played well apart from the opening 15 to 20 minutes, it took us a while to get to grips with Liverpool. After that I was happy with the way we played.”

And Moyes wasn’t too pleased with the first penalty decision, that wiped out his side’s lead and Hibbert’s further involvement in the game – or rival manager Rafael Benitez’s dismissal of what he saw as Everton’s long ball tactics.

Moyes said: “When you get a chance to see it again, there is no tackle. It’s a coming together of two players and I think Gerrard’s left foot slips away. If I was Steven Gerrard I’d be crying out for it but I’m not sure, so we are unfortunate.

He added: “I’m interested in Everton, I’m not interested in Liverpool. After 15 or 20 minutes we were able to pass it well and after the goal we got in a few times. So I disagree with Rafa.

“We definitely deserved to win the game rather than lose so he is saying that because he knows that Liverpool have not been playing well and he’s trying to boost their confidence.”

Meanwhile, Everton’s Scottish goalkeeper Iain Turner will be out until the New Year following hip surgery.