Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has supported David Moyes’ criticism of the officiating during Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Everton, arguing that Morgan Rogers should have been sent off for his challenge on James Garner.

According to Football London on Sunday, October 18, 2026, Dean believes the Chelsea player was fortunate to remain on the pitch following the incident during Saturday’s Premier League meeting at Hill Dickinson Stadium. His assessment has added to the debate surrounding several contentious decisions made during the contest.

Chelsea claimed victory through Pedro Neto, who scored shortly after the restart in the 46th minute before completing his brace in the 90th minute. The result handed Everton their first league defeat of the campaign, but the discussion after the final whistle focused heavily on the refereeing decisions.

Moyes was particularly unhappy with the yellow card shown to Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong for his challenge on Josh Acheampong. The Everton manager also questioned why Rogers was not shown a second yellow card following his tackle on Garner, believing the incident could have resulted in Chelsea being reduced to 10 players.

Speaking after the match, Moyes expressed frustration with the way challenges are assessed in English football, suggesting that referees sometimes allow incidents to go unpunished in an effort to keep the game flowing.

"If our football in this country is not going to allow them then I don't know. We've got referees who we want to be the best in Europe, or think they're the best, because they let things go," he said.

The Everton boss acknowledged that others might disagree with his interpretation of the incident involving Armstrong, but maintained that he had concerns about the decision.

"I thought it looked a half-decent tackle. Maybe somebody might tell me I'm wrong or tell me differently, but I wasn't sure that it was the right decision," Moyes added.

He also explained his disappointment over the Rogers challenge, saying he had reviewed the incident involving Garner and believed it could have warranted further punishment.

"I was disappointed with the decision at the time. I had a wee look at the Morgan Rogers tackle on Jimmy \(Garner\), which, maybe some might have said something different, and I think that might have made a second yellow, it wasn't the case," he said.

Dean offered a firmer verdict while discussing the incident on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday. The former official said he immediately viewed the challenge as serious enough to merit a red card, although he acknowledged that a yellow card would have been the minimum sanction in his assessment.

"I think it's a minimum yellow. I called red straight away," Dean said.

He explained that Rogers appeared not to have won the ball and instead made contact with the inside of Garner’s knee area. Dean said the angle of the replay strengthened his concerns about the nature of the challenge.

"When you see the angle we've seen now, he doesn't get the ball, Rogers. He might've just flicked it, but he catches him with his stud just on the inside of Garner's knee," he explained.

Dean concluded that the tackle was dangerous and should have resulted in a dismissal.

"I think it's a straight red me, I really do. I just think it's not a good tackle at all."

The disagreement has placed further attention on the officiating in Chelsea’s victory, with Moyes and Dean both questioning whether the disciplinary decisions adequately reflected the challenge on Garner.