'What a joke' - Richard Keys delighted Danny Welbeck missed controversial penalty at Everton
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(Credit: Imago, beIN Sports)
Oliver Walton
Tue 26 August 2025 19:42, UK
Richard Keys has expressed his joy at Danny Welbeck missing a penalty for Brighton against Everton on Sunday after he disagreed with Stuart Attwell’s decision to award the spot-kick.
Everton’s first competitive game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium was a successful one as they emerged 2-0 victors over Brighton thanks to goals from Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner.
Ndiaye was the Toffees’ first Premier League goalscorer at their new home as he tapped in a Jack Grealish cross in the 23rd minute, while Garner’s sumptuous strike doubled their lead just after the interval.
The visitors were handed a lifeline to get back into the game with 15 minutes of normal time left as Attwell pointed to the spot after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was adjudged to have handled Yankuba Minteh’s shot at close-range.
Former Man United star Welbeck was then denied from 12 yards by Jordan Pickford, and Keys shared his delight at the justice that he believed was served following an incorrect decision by the referee.
Credit: Getty Images
Dewsbury-Hall lunged to stop Minteh’s goal-bound shot after Brighton had fashioned a chance for the winger in Everton’s penalty area, and while replays showed that the ball did strike his right hand, he was definitely unlucky considering the short distance between him and his opponent.
Keys, who is a presenter and broadcaster for beIN SPORTS, admitted via his blog post from Monday, 25 August, that he was pleased to see Welbeck’s penalty saved by Pickford, as he did not think that the Seagulls should have been given a penalty due to the short time in which Dewsbury-Hall had to react and because his arm was in a natural position.
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He said: “And what was Stuart Atwell thinking when he gave Brighton a pen for handball at Everton?
The ball was smashed at Dewsbury-Hall from a metre – perhaps two.
Happily, like Fernandes for United, Welbeck failed to score.”
Football Insider verdict
Keys was not the only one to disagree with Attwell’s decision, as former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett told Football Insider after the game that Brighton should not have been awarded a penalty for Dewsbury-Hall’s handball, as he was not making his body shape larger or moving his hand towards the ball.
Aside from the call that did not go his way, but ultimately proved to have no baring on a positive Toffees result, the former Chelsea midfielder was impressive for his new club and will surely be a key man going forward under David Moyes.
AppearancesGoalsAssists3654Dewsbury-Hall’s Chelsea career stats
Everton fans were excited when they were first linked to Dewsbury-Hall in early August, and rightly so, considering his clear quality from his time at Stamford Bridge and previously at Leicester City.
The recent Conference League and Club World Cup winner has enjoyed a strong start at Everton, and the likes of him, Grealish and Ndiaye should help Moyes’ side become a real force in the Premier League this season.
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