Leeds United have received an official verdict on two controversial refereeing decisions from their recent clash with Manchester United, with the Premier League’s independent review panel assessing both incidents.
The decisions sparked debate after the Elland Road game, with questions over whether Leeds defender Gabriel Gudmundsson should have seen red and whether Ethan Ampadu deserved a penalty.
The latest assessment has provided a clear answer on both calls, leaving Daniel Farke’s side little room to argue the officials got either decision wrong.
Read More: Gary Neville says Leeds United man escaped red card vs Man Utd
Premier League backs Gudmundsson yellow card
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel voted unanimously, 5-0, that the referee was correct to show Gudmundsson a yellow card rather than send him off. The panel also agreed unanimously that VAR was right not to intervene.
The official report explained: “The on-field call of a yellow card was supported for a reckless challenge by Gudmundsson. Contact was made on Santos’ ankle as he looked to change direction, but with low force and below the threshold for serious foul play.”
The verdict settles the debate over whether Leeds should have been reduced to ten men. Although some pundits felt Gudmundsson was fortunate to escape a red card, the panel concluded that the contact did not meet the threshold for serious foul play.
For Leeds, it means the independent review process has officially judged the defender’s challenge correctly, rather than deeming it a missed red-card offence.
Ampadu penalty appeal also rejected
The panel also backed the decision not to award Leeds a penalty when Ethan Ampadu went down following contact with Harry Maguire.
The KMI panel voted 5-0 that the on-field decision was correct, with VAR again right not to intervene. They explained that the contact was below the threshold for a foul.
That will disappoint Leeds supporters, who felt their captain had a legitimate claim for a spot-kick. However, the review panel’s verdict leaves little room to debate how they assessed the incident.
Both decisions now have unanimous backing, meaning Leeds have not received the official validation some supporters may have hoped for. Farke’s side will need to put the controversy behind them and focus on their upcoming fixtures, rather than dwell on decisions that the Premier League considers correct.
