Leeds United were left with a real sense of injustice after slipping to a narrow 1–0 defeat against Manchester City at Elland Road on Saturday night.
Leeds controlled large parts of the opening half, pressing high and creating clearer openings. They looked sharper and more purposeful than their opponents but couldn’t turn that superiority into a goal.
That wastefulness came back to hurt them when City winger Antoine Semenyo found the net late in the half to give the visitors the edge.
Yet it was the controversy that lingered long after the final whistle. Leeds were convinced they should have been awarded a penalty for handball, only for their appeals to be dismissed, prompting anger from the stands and the dugout.
After the match, head coach Daniel Farke was shown a red card for confronting referee Peter Banks, capping a night that left the home side thoroughly frustrated.
Referee accused of disrespecting Leeds manager Daniel Farke
Farke’s red card may have been within the rules, but Mark Goldbridge stressed that Bankes needs to be questioned for the way he treated the Leeds manager.
He pointed out that the referee pulled out the red card even before the German reached him and refused to listen or even make eye contact with the Leeds boss.
Goldbridge indicated that it was disrespectful towards the manager, who had every right to complain after Bankes made some poor decisions that cost Leeds the game.
He termed Bankes incompetent, who showed his arrogance in the way he handed out the red card to Farke.
Goldbridge said, “What is that referee doing?
“Daniel Farke goes out on the pitch to speak to him afterwards, and the referee pulls out a red card even before he gets to him and doesn’t make eye contact with him.
“Hold on a minute.
“You are the man in the middle who has all these people’s jobs and happiness in your hands, and you have made a big decision that is questionable.
“No, red card, and I am not looking at you.
“Who do you think you are? You are incompetent, mate, and you have made a bad decision.
“People have every right to question you.”
Referees have not been kind to the Whites this season
Leeds United have been on the wrong end of some questionable officiating calls this season, but Saturday night felt particularly harsh, with several decisions going against them.
There is a strong argument that VAR would not have overturned the call had referee Peter Bankes pointed to the spot immediately, as it would hardly have qualified as a clear and obvious error. Instead, Leeds were left empty-handed once again.
There was further frustration when both VAR and Bankes appeared to miss an incident involving Ilia Gruev, who seemed to be stamped on in a challenge that could easily have resulted in a straight red card for the Manchester City player involved.
Emotions eventually boiled over, with head coach Farke shown a red card for confronting the referee at full-time, prompting an official statement from the Premier League.
Deep down, City will know they rode their luck at Elland Road and were perhaps fortunate to walk away with all three points.
