Coventry lost out to Everton in their first trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium at the weekend but might have secured a point had they been awarded two penalties on Merseyside

Coventry have been told that they should have been awarded two penalties in their defeat to Everton.

The Sky Blues slipped to a 3-1 defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Friday night. Thierno Barry scored twice for the hosts, either side of a Yann Gboho strike.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored late on for Everton. But there was controversy during the game, with Coventry twice denied penalties and they have now been told both decisions should have resulted in spot kicks.

The first appeal came when striker Taiwo Awoniyi was taken down by Vitalii Myolenko when through on goal, with a free-kick eventually being given.

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Reviewing that call, former referee Dermot Gallagher said: “Because he ruled it is outside the box, he cannot give a foul and award a free kick as the referee played on, he did not stop the game, which goes on because it is either a penalty, or nothing.”

The second incident of the game came when Everton defender James Tarkowski appeared to catch Ethan Pinnock with an elbow, while also pulling the hair of Caleb Yirenkyi in the process.

And Gallagher believes that too was worthy of a penalty. He added: “This is quite unique for a defender, two commit two offences in one situation.

“He throws one arm out and catches a player. He grabs the other by the hair. The grab of the hair is the easy one; it is so obvious. It has got to be dangerous or violent.

“If he gives a penalty and a yellow card, it fulfills the criteria. It is a foul.

“That one [elbow], you ask if he is leaping for the ball? That is why the second one [hair pull] is the easier one to punish. He is tugging his hair. We know that is an offence. Is it a red card? No because we lowered the threshold. Penalty and yellow card.”

The defeat at Everton has left Frank Lampard’s men sitting 17th in the Premier League ahead of the second international break of the campaign.

They will be back in action in just under a fortnight’s time as they welcome bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace to the CBS Arena.