Leeds United were left frustrated at Wembley after a narrow FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea, just missing out on a place in the final.
Daniel Farke’s side couldn’t quite make their opportunity count, as their push for a first final in 53 years ended in a tight loss at the national stadium.
A first-half strike from Enzo Fernandez proved to be the difference, sending Chelsea through to face Manchester City in next month’s final.
Still, the way the second half unfolded didn’t go down well with Leeds players or supporters, as Chelsea leaned on a bit of gamesmanship to disrupt the flow and see the result out.
And even Alan Pardew feels that some of the gamesmanship has gone a bit too far.
Alan Pardew hammers the referee for missing the ‘obvious’
Robert Sanchez went down faking an injury to allow the Chelsea players to get fresh instructions just when Leeds were building momentum in the second half.
Pascal Struijk was seen complaining to referee Jarred Gillett, and even national journalists have now called out Chelsea’s ‘cheating’ tactics at Wembley.
Speaking live on talkSPORT after the game, former Crystal Palace and West Ham boss Alan Pardew has conceded that some of the gamesmanship and dark arts in football have gone a bit too far.
He insisted that goalkeepers are now gaming the system by faking injuries, and referees such as Gillett need to clamp down on such obvious tactics.
“Gamesmanship has slipped into the game this year, and there are a lot of things wrong with the game at the moment, I think”, Pardew said live on air.
“This tactic of the goalie going down and having a break in the middle of the half is almost like a timeout we’re getting.
“That does need to be clamped down on, referees do need to police it a little bit better and see through the situations, some of them look pretty obvious to me.”
Leeds need to get over this soon
Daniel Farke will be disappointed as his Leeds side had chances to beat this poor Chelsea team that lost their last five Premier League games.
That said, there’s little time to dwell on it. Leeds United are still not mathematically safe and need a few more points to confirm their Premier League status.
Up next is a home clash with Burnley at Elland Road on Friday, where they’ll look to get the job done in front of their supporters.
Even so, Farke can take pride in guiding Leeds to their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987—and if he keeps the Whites in the top flight, he’ll have achieved his main objective for the season.
