David Moyes: Everton boss fumes at officials after punishment for jubilant celebrations - 'I'm still shaking my head'

Everton boss David Moyes described the decision to award him a yellow card as "sad" after he was booked for running onto the pitch following Beto's late equaliser at Brighton. The 63-year-old said football's officiating is "killing" the game, while saying the decision shows officials "have got nothing about them". But the Scot had no regrets over his celebration, saying he would "do it again".

David Moyes has criticised football’s laws and officiating for "killing" the game after the Everton boss was booked for running onto the pitch following Beto’s stoppage-time equaliser against Brighton. 

The striker tucked home on the rebound in the 97th minute to snatch a point for the Toffees at the Amex, which led to jubilant celebrations from Moyes, who sprinted from his dugout and ran onto the pitch.

Referee Chris Kavanagh handed the 63-year-old a yellow card for leaving his technical area. 

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Reflecting on the incident at full-time, Moyes recalled David Pleat's infamous celebrations in 1983 after Luton secured survival in the top flight with victory at Manchester City, noting one key difference. 

"I hope you're not going to call me 'Pleaty' going forward," the Scot told reporters. 

"The difference is Pleat doesn't get booked for it, they think it's OK and everybody enjoys seeing the celebrations.

Beto wheels away to the travelling support after his late equaliser

Image credit: Getty Images

"Who wants to see managers getting booked for celebrating? We're killing it.

"The managers can't come out of their technical area to celebrate a goal, knee sliding, do things which give you people [the media] quite a bit to talk about.

"I mean, I don't think that I would dance around if the goal was in the 55th minute.

"But you know, that shows they've got nothing about them at all. No thoughts about what football means to the managers. Sad, isn't it? I'm still shaking my head."

There were no regrets from the Everton boss. Asked if he would do it again, Moyes said: "I bloody will do it again!

"Actually, if I'd been a bit more mobile, I might have done a knee slide. That would only have got me a yellow as well, so I might as well have gone the whole hog."

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Moyes was particularly delighted with the equaliser given the goalscorer, with Beto netting for just the third time this season.

"Everybody's been desperate for Beto to do well," Moyes explained.

"He continues to work like a beast every day to try and improve himself, to try and make himself better. Sometimes in life, the harder you work, the luckier you get."

It was also a crucial point for Everton, taking them up to eighth place in the Premier League and meaning they remained three points clear of their opponent, rather than Brighton going level. 

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It was not the first time a manager has been sanctioned for celebrations this season, with Enzo Maresca receiving a second yellow card and subsequent one-match touchline ban for his celebrations following Chelsea’s late winner against Liverpool in October. 

Other memorable technical area departures include Jose Mourinho’s sprint down the touchline at Old Trafford in 2004 while in charge of Porto, and Jurgen Klopp’s burst onto the pitch to hug Alisson Becker after Divock Origi’s last-gasp winner in the Merseyside derby in 2018.

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