A few weeks ago, Leeds United went to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. It was a must-win game, as other relegation rivals had picked up points that week.
So Daniel Farke’s men knew they had to get a result on that Monday night. And the team delivered; a flawless first half performance saw the Whites dominate the game. Leeds midfielders Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu controlled the opening minutes and never let go. Manchester United were on the back foot and were punished twice within 20 minutes.
The biggest talking point of the game aside the win, was the home fans and manager complaining about Lisandro Martinez’s red card. The defender was booked for fouling Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the counter. However, the referee was sent to the monitor and the decision was changed as Martinez was seen clearly pulling on the striker’s hair.
Dermot Gallagher gives verdict on incident in Leeds vs Chelsea game
At Wembley, in the FA Cup semi-final. a similar incident occurred. This time it was Calvert-Lewin seen pulling on Marc Cucurella’s hair when coming down from an aerial duel. The referee waved play on in real time, and after a quick VAR review, no card was awarded. Manchester United fans were furious that there was no consistent refereeing.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher backed Jarred Gillett, saying there was not enough in it and that he was not convinced.
“I’m not convinced he pulled his hair. He might have just brushed against it, but we’ve gone way overboard with this now.” he said on Sky Sports Ref Watch.
“Every single incident where somebody’s near somebody’s hair, it’s ‘oh he’s pulled his hair’.
“You’ve got to be sure. We don’t want red cards thrown about like we’re in a casino. It’s got to have an impact, a reason and a purpose, and it’s got to be for an offence.”
READ MORE: Ally McCoist condemns Chelsea’s actions against Leeds live on talkSPORT
The focus should have been on time-wasting at Wembley
All the headlines and discussions surrounded Leeds and Calvert-Lewin getting away with the hair pull. Especially when Lisandro Martinez was penalized, and the appeal to overturn the red card was rejected immediately. The focus should have been on the deliberate time wasting by Chelsea at Wembley; it happened at a crucial point in the game when Leeds had momentum. Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez went down for treatment and the game was disrupted – Leeds never came back from that and the game was over. The FA and referees must crack down on something becoming too frequent in England.
