Refereeing allegation made after Leeds United game – Oxford United boss unhappy with officiating
During the season, Leeds United has experienced a number of refereeing errors. The last one was a few weeks ago during the Middlesbrough game.
Ao Tanaka scored a clean goal at Riverside Stadium, but assistant referee Darren Williams disallowed it. Middlesbrough exerted pressure on Leeds for a significant portion of the match after the goal was disallowed, and they came very close to equalising. But Daniel Farke’s team held their ground and won 1-0 on the road.
The team’s victory put them in the driver’s seat for automatic promotion as they defeated Preston in another decisive game.
Oxford United boss criticizes refereeing after Leeds United game
On Friday night, Leeds defeated Oxford United to make it three wins in a row. The U’s put up a fight and held the league leaders to just one goal away from home, so the victory was not easy. The Whites are one step closer to the Premier League after that victory.
The manager of Oxford United expressed dissatisfaction with the game’s officiating after it was played. Before leaving for his news conference after the game, Gary Rowett spent fifteen minutes griping to the referees in the referee’s room. He disclosed the game decisions that he believed went against his team during the news conference:
“Sometimes you just need the rub of the green,” he said. “I think there was one where [Alex] Matos charges the goalkeeper down, it’s a clear corner and they give a goal kick. There was another where [Michal] Helik heads the ball down, gives a foul against Helik, nothing there.
“We’ve had it all season, we’ve had no penalty all season, you don’t quite get the rub of the green if you’re the smaller team, occasionally. I don’t think it massively affected the game, I think it just disrupted one or two of those moments of pressure where I think the decision helped relieve it for Leeds a little bit. ”
Does Gary Rowett have a point?
He mentions several happenings in the game, but they didn’t have enough of an effect to alter the outcome. In the end, Leeds’ concerns are rather minor because they scored a perfectly legal goal to secure all three points.
It’s more likely that Gary Rowett is upset about the refereeing that has discriminated against his team this season. But there was really nothing contentious to complain about throughout the game on Friday night.
