Patrick Bamford has expressed his thoughts on the decision not to award Leeds United a penalty against Sunderland last night.
Leeds were held to a dismal 0-0 stalemate at Elland Road by the Black Cats, who struggled to produce any clear-cut chances during the 90-minute game.
Leeds have only managed to pick up five points from their four games since the international break, in what has been an incredibly troubling run of play at the worst time.
Just as on Saturday, Leeds squandered the opportunity to climb to the top of the table following Leicester City’s defeat at Millwall, with Ipswich Town now having every motive to make their move tomorrow.
Despite their problems in the match, Leeds had a stonewall penalty knocked down in the second half, which understandably enraged the players on the pitch.
Bamford offers his instant thoughts on whether Leeds should have received a penalty.
Crysencio Summerville fired a corner kick from the left, and Joe Rodon, soaring above everyone in the air, had the ball deflected straight off his head.
Unfortunately for Leeds, Luke O’Nien’s outstretched arm prevented him from getting a header off, as he effectively punched the ball out of danger.
It was a judgment that summed up a poor refereeing performance, allowing Sunderland to take their time with many restarts before awarding only three minutes of extra time.
Bamford was asked to comment on the decision not to award a penalty on Sky Sports after the game, and he said he couldn’t understand why it wasn’t given considering the referee’s position.
He was quoted as saying: “To be honest I thought he was going to give it because the referee was looking straight at it, but sometimes it goes for you and sometimes it doesn’t.”
The penalty decision was bad, but Leeds struggled again.
In a promotion battle as tight as this, Leeds needs decisions like those to go their way, but it was yet another poor effort.
Leeds were up against a team that was content to stay deep and soak up pressure, but they had no answers to break them down, with only one shot on goal in 90 minutes.
Much of this must be attributed to Daniel Farke, who chose the same side that failed so miserably at Coventry before leaving it far too late to reverse things.
It’s likely to be more of the same against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, and failing to win could spell the end of Leeds’ promotion hopes.
