The Everton manager said the corner routines his side used against Manchester United on Monday were a response to other teams gaining an edge through physical play.
David Moyes believes the disorder now visible in penalty areas across the Premier League stems from officials failing to clamp down on “wrestling” at corner kicks.
Everton were accused of being “a bit over the top” by Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens after he faced a flurry of corners swung under his crossbar while players jostled for position when the sides met on Monday night.
Lammens managed to keep the Blues out, helping the visitors withstand 10 corners and leave Hill Dickinson Stadium with all three points.
Moyes later admitted he wanted his players to show more variation from set pieces as they chased an equaliser. Reflecting on the frequent sight of players grappling at corners, he said: “It should never have reached this stage.”
Moyes suggested coaches had turned to more forceful methods after seeing other teams profit from them, and with no firm action taken by referees, corners had become a grey area where physicality offered an advantage that clubs were bound to exploit.
The Blues themselves were punished from corners in home defeats to Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur – with the Spurs match shaped by a goal just before half-time that stood despite clear contact on Jordan Pickford.
Speaking ahead of Everton’s trip to Newcastle, Moyes said: “It’s been allowed to go on, whether it’s blocking goalkeepers or blocking defenders, and you now get the sense referees don’t really want to step in.
“It’s almost wrestling at times, which it shouldn’t be. It should never have got to this point, but I think it’s been poor that it hasn’t been dealt with properly or stopped.”
When asked if the approach – including that used by his own players against United – amounted to “anti-football”, the 62-year-old said the widespread use of it that night was not his intention, but he struggled to get the message across to vary deliveries during the frantic closing stages.
Explaining why so many teams now attack corners in the same way, he added: “You’re allowed a lot of blocking now. In my day, if you blocked someone it was a free-kick. Blocking has become a huge part of it.
“To be fair, the best at it – and with style – would be Arsenal: good delivery, good movement, but there’s still plenty of dark arts such as blocking the goalkeeper from behind or in front, blocking defenders and making it hard for them to attack the ball.
“It’s a major part of football, but I do think refereeing standards have allowed that side of the game to slip.
“And as managers, if we see others doing it without being punished, then we all follow.”
