Dermot Gallagher has said the referee was powerless to do anything in the build-up to the Leeds goal in the Championship game on Sunday.
However, he also said that both Patrick Bamford and Conor Hourihane could be hit with retrospective action from the FA.
Leeds scored when Aston Villa were expecting them to put the ball out of play and it led to a big bust-up, with Anwar El Ghazi getting the only red card after Patrick Bamford was seemingly knocked off his feet.
Replays showed he did nothing but they also showed a potential punch from Conor Hourihane on Mateusz Klich.
Talking on Ref Watch (Sky Sports, Monday, 11.30am) former Premier League ref Dermot Gallagher gave his verdict.
First he was asked if the original incident was a foul.
“The ref was closest to it and he didn’t think it was a foul so the game went on,” Gallagher said.
“I think what infuriated Villa players is that earlier they’d kicked the ball out for a Leeds injury and they expected the ball to be kicked out then.
“The ref has no power, it’s not a head injury, and the worst scenario was that a goal was scored which infuriated everybody.”
Asked about the Bamford and Hourihane incidents Gallagher said, “I think El Ghazi is almost trying to say get off me, and he certainly hasn’t elbowed Bamford. The ramifications could be that the FA will look at that. I’ve heard they will appeal El Ghazi and if they get him off then Bamford could well get a two-match ban for trying to deceive him.”
Gallagher was then shown a potential punch on Klich by Hourihane and Gallagher said, “Again, that will be looked at today. It’s clear it’s an unseen incident as the referee has his back to the incident.”
OPINION
The fallout from the Leeds v Aston Villa game should be known soon but it seems certain that we haven’t heard the last of it yet. Going on the video evidence that we’ve seen we expect El Ghazi to have his red card rescinded and both Bamford and Hourihane to be hit with retrospective action. Depending on timings that could mean both players missing at least the first leg of the Play-Off semi-finals, and possibly more for Hourihane if he’s found guilty of throwing a punch. Both teams could do without that ahead of the biggest games of the season. As a precursor to a possible Play-Off final, though, this was as dramatic as you could get and it will mean a huge amount of interest in the game if both teams get through to the Wembley showpiece. The 1-1 draw also brought an end to the incredible 10-game winning run that guaranteed Aston Villa their play-off place. Leeds will take solace that Villa haven’t beaten them once this season.