Everton defeated Liverpool in the Women’s Super League with the Merseyside derby settled by a penalty that was given for a foul outside the area.
Liverpool manager Matt Beard said his side had been “let down by the officials” as Everton won 1-0 at Goodison Park thanks to Katja Snoeijs’ penalty.
Replays showed Liverpool’s Fuka Nagano tripped Honoka Hayashi outside the box but referee Abigail Byrne awarded the spot-kick.
Both players were outside the area when the foul was committed. There is no VAR in the Women’s Super League and Beard said there was “no point” in complaining.
"It wasn’t a penalty. That’s it. It changes the complete complexity of the game," he said, as Everton won their first WSL match of the season.
"You have the referee, the fourth official, the linesman and the assistant referee all with unblocked views. Even I saw the contact was about a yard outside the box.
"I just give up with it to be honest with you because it happens every week - not just with us. It cost us the game today, 100 per cent.
"I just feel we’ve been let down by the officials. I feel we should have had two penalties and we’ve had one given against us that wasn’t a penalty.
"Ultimately those decisions have cost us either a point or three points today."
The result means Liverpool have gone five games without a win in the WSL while Everton’s win lifted them off the bottom of the table.
