Leeds United were left frustrated at Wembley on Sunday after a narrow 1–0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea, just missing out on a place in the final.
Daniel Farke’s side couldn’t make their chances 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 decisive, sending Chelsea through to face Manchester City in next month’s final.
However, the way the second half unfolded left a sour taste for Leeds players and supporters, with Chelsea turning to a bit of gamesmanship to disrupt the flow and see the game out.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has attracted severe criticism for his ‘cheating’ tactics. However, Andy Townsend has decided to aim his guns at the referees for the incident.
‘Blatant and obvious’ – Andy Townsend takes the referees to task after Leeds vs Chelsea controversy
On TalkSPORT breakfast, Townsend spoke about the incident involving Sanchez and how it stopped the flow of the game for Leeds at Wembley.
He stressed that it was blatant and obvious what Chelsea were doing, and conceded that if they had to do it, they should have been subtle about it.
Townsend insisted that the fourth official should have stepped in and helped out Jarred Gillett, the on-field referee. However, he stressed that only referees can clamp down on this by not allowing such blatant cheating by players.
Townsend said, “It looked blatant.
“It was obvious. You could be a little more subtle with that.
“I always think that with situations like that, the referee might not have his eyes on those two guys, and the fourth official needs to alert him.
“Only the referees can change this, and telling people to get up and move it rather than blowing for unnecessary free-kicks.”
The Whites have a big game ahead
Ethan Ampadu admitted Leeds fell short in the first half, and there’ll be real frustration at being tactically outplayed by a struggling Chelsea side that arrived on the back of five straight Premier League defeats.
That said, there’s no time to dwell on it. Leeds United are still not mathematically safe and need a few more points to secure their Premier League status.
Up next is a home game against Burnley at Elland Road on Friday, where they’ll be aiming to get the job done in front of their supporters.
Even so, the players deserve credit for taking Leeds to their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987, and if they secure survival, they’ll have achieved their main goal for the season.
