‘For me’ - Former Premier League referee delivers honest verdict on controversial Leeds incident against Portsmouth
It was a decision which caused uproar among pundits and Leeds fans alike.
Now a former Premier League referee has joined the debate and sided with those who firmly believe the Elland Road outfit were denied a clear-cut penalty during their 1-0 defeat against Pompey at Fratton Park.
The key incident took place just 10 minutes into the contest and with the scores still level, when Blues favourite Matt Ritchie went to clear the ball in his own penalty area and clipped visiting player Dan James in the process.
Straightaway there were large appeals for a penalty to be awarded from Daniel Farke and his coaching staff sat on the sidelines. But they were ignored by referee Robert Jones, who allowed play to continue by signalling the Pompey forward had cleared the ball fairly. Replays suggested otherwise, though, with Ritchie appearing to make contact with James before making the clearance.
At half-time, former Elland Road boss Neil Warnock delivered his verdict on the decision on Sky Sports , with the now-retired 76-year-old adamant his former club should have been awarded a spot-kick.
And the debate spilled over into Monday morning, with the crucial moment a topic of discussion on Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch.
Dermott Gallagher on Leeds penalty appeals
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher and resident adjudicator cast his expert eye on the situation and was put on the spot to see if he believed Leeds suffered a great injustice during their latest trip on the south coast. And just like Warnock, he was ‘perplexed’ as to why match-offical Jones saw no wrongdoing.
The 67-year-old said: ‘It’s a penalty for me. What makes it even more perplexing is that Robert Jones is in the absolutely perfect position. He’s got the perfect view and he just doesn’t react, he doesn’t react at all.’
Former Leeds Ladies’ player and England international Sue Smith - another regular on the programme alongside ex-Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock - agreed with Gallagher.
She said it was a ‘blatant penalty’ as she offered a brief verdict on the key incident.
The decision provedc costly for the visitors as Pompey went on to win the game 1-0 thanks to Colby Bishop’s well-placed 61st-minute effort. It was a goal that moved John Mousinho’s Blues one step closer to safetyand 10 points clear of the relegation zone, while it also inflicted a first defeat in 17 for the current league leaders.
Despite the defeat, Leeds remain top of the Championship tree on goal difference from Sheffield United, who beat Preston North End on Saturday.
Yet we might not have heard the last of the penalty debate if Farke & Co fail to deliver automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the end of the season.
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