Footage from the most recent Leeds United game looks to show a key error from the referee that may have cost the club badly.
The Whites were unable to continue their solid start to the new Premier League season as they fell to a 5-2 defeat at the weekend.
Indeed, Ivan Toney impressed as he netted a superb hat-trick for Brentford, which was enough to fend off Leeds – even if they did make the game competitive thanks to strikes from Luis Sinisterra and Marc Roca.
Despite further goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa seeing the Bees cruise to victory, the game may have well finished differently but for one key incident.
Indeed, when the score was still at 3-1, Crysencio Summerville skipped around Aaron Hickey only to be tugged back before being bundled over inside the penalty box.
Footage shared on Twitter shows the incident clearly, but no foul was given. Leeds boss Jesse Marsch was so incensed by the call that he was sent off for his reaction – making any hopes of a comeback even more difficult.
TIF Thoughts on the call and Leeds United…
Anyone who watches the footage will surely likely come to the conclusion that it was certainly a foul. As the initial contact came outside the box, there is a debate to be had as to whether or not it should have been a penalty or a free-kick. However, that doesn’t excuse the referee for not penalising Hickey in some way.
With the call not going in Leeds’ favour, they were denied a major attacking opportunity that could have helped them pull the game back to 3-2 at the time. On top of that, as mentioned before, they then had to finish the game without their manager on the sidelines as Marsch was handed a red card for his over-the-top complaints.
Speaking after the game, the American remained angered by the event, calling the lack of VAR regarding the possible foul on Summerville disrespectful.
He told BBC Sport: “I’ve got to figure out how to have discussions with the league or with referees to help understand how some decisions get made.
“I was speaking with the fourth official, trying to be as respectful as I possibly could, even when a penalty was given that I probably didn’t think was a penalty.
“And then you don’t see it reciprocated, the respect. That’s what I would call it. That lack of VAR visit, in the end to me, is a lack of respect.”
We sympathise with Marsch’s feelings towards the incident and find the absence of a decision in Leeds’ favour quite baffling in this instance.
This is only the tip of the problem, the real reason we are losing instead of winning is the stupid tactical/ American ( MLS) way of trying to play in England. It’s going to be a hell of a long depressing season, unless we change ??
I like Marsch a lot, despite the fact he is American (ha ha), but he needs to understand that this is not the MLS.
We simply have to accept the officials decisions graciously, regardless of how seemingly biased they are and argue only when absolutely necessary. Otherwise we are not being sporting and we will not get the rub of the green we are after.