Days after Leeds United and Sunderland faced of at the Stadium of Light and the refereeing remains the key talking point. Stuart Attwell was once again the centre of controversy following some key moments in the match.
The game itself was largely drab, with both teams not playing to their best.
Leeds fans will agree that Sunday night ranked very low among the games the have played this season. Regis Le Bris and Sunderland will be glad that the were able to end their four-game losing streak.
The Whites come out of another big game with yet another draw.
Five draws in eight games is not a bad way to start the season, but many are now anxious that Leeds cannot win games due to their lack of quality.
Heated Sky Sports debate erupts over surprise Leeds call
Leeds United. Credit: IMAGO
Stuart Attwell had a big decision to make early in the game, when Jade Bogle caught Reinildo with a high foot.
The crowd and Sunderland players were pushing for the Leeds star to be set off, but in the end, Attwell only brandished a yellow card. After the game, many said that Bogle was lucky to escape a red.
Leeds had a big penalty call late in the game, when Luke O’Nien fell into Calvert-Lewin’s knees, bringing down the striker as he chased the ball in the box.
The incident was not giving as a penalty, but it did spark discussions as the game finished goalless.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher and Jay Bothroyd had a heated debate on whether the incident was a penalty on the Sky Sports Ref Watch show.
“I do not think it is a penalty. Calvert-Lewin treads on the ball and that is what knocks him over.” Gallagher said.
“I think it is a penalty,” Bothroyd said. “He is in control of the ball and gets pushed, he is leaning into him and without that, he is not going down.”
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Was it a penalty?
Stuart Attwell made the right call looking at all things considered; O’Nein did clatter into Calvert-Lewin but it was not a deliberate foul.
And that plays in the mind of the referee and VAR when the do review the footage. Attwell did not see anything that would make he point to the spot, and so he decided to to make the call and the VAR agreed.
Maybe in the coming weeks, the Premier League Key Match Incidents panel can give some insights.
Fortunately for Leeds fans, the have not fallen to egregious refereeing decisions early this season and it should ideally stay that way.
Daniel Farke’s men were not the best side at the Stadium of Light, and a penalty would only have ended up giving them a win that was not fully deserved.
