What Simon Hooper told Everton star about controversial Morgan Rogers incident
Simon Hooper came under fire as Aston Villa were held to a goalless draw away at Everton on Saturday.
There wasn’t much to cheer about for long spells at the Hill Dickinson Stadium for Unai Emery’s side after such a poor start to the campaign at Villa Park.
A clash against an Everton side featuring Premier League Player of the Month Jack Grealish didn’t appear to be an easy opportunity to turn the tide away from B6.
The early stages on Merseyside failed to showcase why Villa were backed to beat Everton away from home, with the away side posing a general lack of threat.
This saw Rogers get involved in controversy as opposed to goals, something which has seen Simon Hooper come under fire in L4.
Simon Hooper speaks after Aston Villa vs Everton controversy
There is no getting away from the poor standards on show from the Villans against the Toffees, with Villa not learning from the Crystal Palace defeat last time out.
This was particularly the case in the opening exchanges as the Toffees were afforded all the time and space they needed to create chances.
If it wasn’t for Beto’s poor finishing, there is every chance that the Blues could have been well ahead and ultimately out of sight in L4.
It was potentially this frustration of the home outfit that sparked fury when referee Hooper awarded a free-kick against James Tarkowski for a challenge on Rogers.
The match official took a moment to assess before awarding a free-kick on halfway, much to the annoyance of Steven Warnock via BBC Radio 5 Live on 13 September.
He said: “I don’t understand that. Tarkowski, with his head in his hands, wondering how. Straight away, I thought he’d won the ball.
“He’s saying, Simon Hooper, that the follow-through on Rogers isn’t right from Tarkowski. There’s got to be contact in football, there are too many challenges now when you collide with the player, that’s called momentum, and that is part of football.”
Troy Deeney in agreement over Morgan Rogers frustration
It won’t come as a surprise to the claret and blue outfit that the former Birmingham City man is in agreement with a decision deemed to have been incorrect in favour of Aston Villa.
This saw the ex-striker speak out on talkSPORT to share his annoyance with the decision from Hooper.
He said: “Simon Hooper has got this one terribly wrong, Morgan Rogers has turned in, and as he has turns in, Tarkowski has lined him up.
“Great tackle, wins the ball back, Everton on the front foot, somehow brings it back for a foul.”
In fairness to Deeney, this decision was probably one that the referee got wrong on the day, with the Everton defender winning the ball with a firm challenge.
With that being said, Villa have been deserving of some sort of luck after such a frustrating start to the campaign.
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