Everton 1-0 Liverpool – ITV the real losers

Everton won a turgid third Merseyside derby in 16 days last night, with a late, late Dan Gosling goal putting them through just as it looked to go to penalties. Apparently.

I say apparently because I, along with millions of other disgruntled – nay apoplectic – viewers missed the goal due to ITV’s amateur, avaricious football coverage.

It is a common gripe that their coverage is substandard – poor commentary, average pundits, and advert laden – but last night was something else. After sitting through 118 minutes of torpor, ITV rewarded their viewers by cutting to adverts with a couple of minutes of extra time still to play. During which time Dan Gosling sent the blue half of Merseyside into raptures.

They blamed technical problems – and Steve Ryder at least had the decency to apologise (no offical apology came up on screen) – but the suspicion is there that they were cashing in, making sure people caught the adverts before nipping to get a cup of tea prior to penalties. So not only did they ruin the only good part of the game, they also aroused doubts of their integrity.

The game itself was a non-event – ‘Alan Wiley’ refereed excellently, preventing the bitty, niggly tackles developing into anything more serious, with Lucas the only casualty after two yellows. There were precious few chances, and fewer saves – which made ITV’s gaffe all the more infuriating.

The forthcoming football rights have just been won by Sky – let’s hope to God that ITV don’t get the remaining portion, and that they lose the FA Cup and Champion’s League as well. It’s astonishing just how much better Sky, and the BBC, are at broadcasting live football.

If you share our wrath, email ITV here, and vent your spleen.