Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill sprang to the defence of referee Howard Webb after the World Cup final official incorrectly awarded Everton a penalty that ultimately cost the Blacks Cats a first win over the Merseyside club since December 2001.
O’Neill adopted a diplomatic stance towards English football’s leading referee, who has been selected to officiate at Euro 2012, after Everton counterpart David Moyes admitted that the decision to award the Toffees a spot-kick was a “terrible” one.
Sunderland had been on course for the third victory of O’Neill’s four-game reign on Wearside thanks to Jack Colback’s first senior goal for the Stadium of Light side until Webb’s untimely intervention.
The Yorkshireman infuriated the home crowd by pointing to the spot when Leon Osman fell to the ground following a miskick, with replays showing there was no contact made on the midfielder from an opposition player.
“It is not a great decision by an otherwise top-class referee,” O’Neill told reporters at his post-match press conference. “I spoke to him about it but he hadn’t seen it back but I obviously had.
“Naturally, he must have thought there was contact but clearly there wasn’t and obviously it is disappointing. Like everything else, players get things wrong and so do managers.
“I have to preface everything and I said this to Howard that they the job they do is the most difficult in the business and even though he is only seven or eight yards away from it he only gets one look at it. It is a difficult task. But I still think I probably did miss referees when I was away.”
The former Aston Villa manager also cleared Osman of blame for his role in winning the second half penalty.
“I think that when one misses the ball completely you are bound to go down awkwardly,” O’Neill added.
“So I wouldn’t be attaching any blame to a player in any way because he had an air-swipe, missed it and you are bound to be off-balance and then go down. I think he has made a positive attempt. I don’t think he has tried to con anybody at all.
“I just think the referee has got to try to see that from that distance. He hasn’t done so it is just disappointing but it is gone. You can’t do anything about it.”
Despite the set-back, O’Neill was satisfied with his players’ efforts, and singled out young midfielder Colback for his contribution.
“We started off tentatively and Everton ended up getting a couple of free headers early on,” O’Neill continued.
“Titus Bramble going off did cause us a problem having to re-arrange things so early but Jack Colback did exceptionally well for us and got the goal.
“The penalty is a big incident in the match and I thought it might put is on the back foot in the second half but we came back again well.
“I would have taken seven points from my first four games. We didn’t get beaten but in the last five minutes I though we might score when [Sylvain] Distin made a clearance.
“The swirling wind stopped it being an entertaining spectacle but the lads are disappointed with the outcome and maybe that is encouraging.”
Of more immediate concern to O’Neill are the injuries that saw defensive duo Titus Bramble and Phil Bardsley unable to return for the second half of the clash, with both players set to be assessed at training on Tuesday.
“It is worrying for the players and worrying for us,” added O’Neill, whose side host Manchester City on New Year’s Day.