Coventry boss Frank Lampard questioned why his sides were not given a penalty after a trio of decisions went against them in defeat at Everton.
Thierno Barry’s double and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s late goal helped the hosts come from behind to win 3-1 on Friday.
Yann Gboho gave Coventry the lead after the break, yet the visitors felt they should have had a first-half spot-kick.
James Tarkowski tugged Caleb Yirenkyi’s hair while jumping for a ball, with referee Stuart Attwell dismissing the Sky Blues’ claims.
The rules have been relaxed around hair pulling this season and it does not automatically mean a foul or a red card, with excessive force also being taken into consideration, but former Everton boss Lampard felt the officials got it wrong.
He said: “They’re saying it’s not enough of a pull and I think it’s a hard area to be in. What is a hair pull? You’ve decided it is but it’s not enough.
“I have looked at them, sometimes with emotions in the moment you can’t be clear on the sidelines.
“I think the rules are fine. It’s not a red card. I kind of get that because I think in a game of football there’s a lot of stuff happens that’s not absolutely dramatic.
“You know they can happen but I think if the the rule remains that it’s a foul so I felt it was a foul.”
Lampard also felt Taiwo Awoniyi was fouled by Vitalii Mykolenko before Coventry went ahead, although replays showed it was outside the box, and Barry handled the ball before his second goal – although video assistant referee (VAR) Timothy Wood ruled it was not a handball offence.
“Taiwo for me on the line of the box is a penalty. You’ve got to give the foul in real time anyway, the ref did let it go, and I felt it was a penalty,” Lampard added, with defeat leaving Coventry 16th in the Premier League.
“The Barry one is handball, I’ve heard they are saying it didn’t touch his hand but I’ve seen an angle where he has flicked it in with the final touch. VAR is there for that.
“I can’t sit here and say I know everything and they should give all three of them, if one or two of them don’t go our way, but they would clearly change the game.”
Everton boss David Moyes denied Barry handled the ball and also felt the hair pulling rule needs addressing.
After his team moved fifth, the Scot said: “We’ve had plenty [of decisions] which have gone against us. It certainly doesn’t hit his hand.
“The hair pull rule has changed so it would be a booking if it was but I still think it’s ridiculous that rule is in the game. I can’t understand why they don’t fix this completely because I don’t see it as a good rule at all.”
