Leeds United are under some pressure in the fight for Premier League survival after losing 1-0 at home against Sunderland on Tuesday night.
The Whites were bitterly disappointed after they lost to the Black Cats in a game they dominated, but Sunderland stole the points through some cynical tactics.
Leeds were also unhappy about some of the refereeing calls, and many felt that the Whites should have had a penalty in the first half for a clear foul inside the penalty box.
Sunderland also should have had a player sent off, but the officials ignored some blatant fouls and time-wasting as Sunderland escaped Elland Road with all three points.
Gary Lineker and Micah Richards can’t believe what they saw in the Leeds v Sunderland game
Leeds fans were especially horrified when the referee and VAR completely ignored Sunderland defender Luke O’Nien grabbing and pulling down Pascal Struijk inside the penalty box.
The Whites and their supporters could not believe that their calls for a penalty went unheard, and the decision has attracted some real criticism.
Even Micah Richards got worked up about that poor call, and the former Manchester City defender insisted that it was ridiculous that the officials ignored a clear penalty.
Former England striker Gary Lineker was also bemused that a foul and a penalty were not awarded to Leeds after that incident.
“100% [Leeds should have had a penalty], Richards said on the Rest Is Football podcast.
“It was O’Nien, wasn’t it? It was ridiculous. It was a stonewall penalty.”
Linker added, “[It was] unbelievable.”
The Whites have had bad luck with refereeing all season
If the frustration after the Manchester City game was intense, Daniel Farke had even more reason to be furious following Tuesday night’s clash with Sunderland at Elland Road.
The officials’ decision to ignore the foul on Struijk, the tight offside call, and the penalty awarded to Sunderland all added to the sense of injustice.
Leeds have endured several contentious refereeing calls throughout the season, and there is a growing feeling that they might be sitting higher in the table if a few of those decisions had gone their way.
The result itself was disappointing, but Leeds once again had genuine reasons to feel aggrieved with the officials for the second straight game at Elland Road.
The hope within the club will be that questionable refereeing decisions do not continue to cost them valuable points during the run-in to the end of the season.
