Everton's Richarlison in controversial flare celebration after scoring vs Chelsea
Richarlison netted a vital goal for Everton against Chelsea at Goodison Park and celebrated with a flare thrown from the crowd
Richarlison netted a vital winner for Everton against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday - and controversially celebrated by waving a flare thrown from the home fans and then launching it back into the crowd.
The Brazilian forward made the goal himself out of nothing when he won the ball off Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta on the edge of the area in the 47th minute and coolly slotted past Edouard Mendy to open the scoring at Goodison Park.
Spotting a flare thrown from the Everton as he ran towards the side of the pitch, the 24-year-old picked up the object and waved it in an iconic celebration amid blue smoke in front of the Everton fans before throwing it back into the crowd.
Liverpool's Harvey Elliot was ticked off by manager Jurgen Klopp and also contacted by the FA to offer an explanation after celebrating with a flare thrown from the crowd in the aftermath of the Reds' Carabao Cup win over Chelsea in February.
"Harvey is a very young man on the pitch and outside it he is more of a young boy," Klopp said at the time. "But that’s not a problem, he made a mistake."
Richarlison's celebration could land him in hot water with the FA, but the goal proved to the winner against Chelsea and could prove to be crucial in the Toffees' fight against relegation.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.