Leeds United fans were outraged at Elland Road and on social media after Millwall’s Jake Cooper collided with Joe Rodon in the penalty area, and Dermot Gallagher had his say.
Cooper and Willy Gnonto had earlier received yellow cards for an incident near the corner flag. Gnonto may have been treated brutally since Cooper had pulled him down to the ground to make it look awful.
Leeds went on to win 2-0, with Gnonto getting the last laugh with a storming goal that propelled Leeds to three points and first place in the Championship table. Dan James made it 2-0 after 79 minutes.
Leeds now lead the table with eight games to play, despite Leicester having a game in hand. Georginio Rutter commented on promotion, and Neil Harris stated that Leeds deserved to win the game.
But it might have been 2-0 in the first half. Cooper, on a yellow card, lunges into Leeds’ Rodon in the penalty box, resulting in a stone wall penalty and maybe a second yellow for Cooper.
Dermot Gallagher feels Leeds should have been handed a penalty.
It had little bearing on the final score, but referee Stephen Martin’s judgment perplexed supporters both during and after the game. A referee who also sent Joe Rodon off during the 0-0 draw with Hull City.
Gallagher, a former Premier League referee, delivered his opinion on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch on Monday morning. He claims he doesn’t understand how Martin missed Cooper’s foul on Sunday.
“I think there should be a penalty. He collides with Rodon and gets a touch on the ball, although I believe this is due to luck rather than judgement. “I just don’t see how you can do that,” Gallagher said earlier Monday.