Leeds United 1 Aston Villa 2: Lee Sobot's YEP video verdict
Leeds United face Premier League title contenders Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday.
The Premier League have confirmed their latest round of referee appointments with Peter Bankes to take charge of Manchester City vs Leeds United on Saturday.
Leeds head to the Etihad looking to climb out of the relegation zone, having dropped in for the first time all season ahead of their 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa last weekend. That result kept the Whites down in 18th courtesy of an inferior goal difference to West Ham, with pressure mounting on Daniel Farke.
Ahead of another big weekend of action, the Premier League have confirmed their referee appointments for each fixture with Bankes assigned to the Etihad clash. He will be assisted by Eddie Smart and Blake Antrobus, with Gavin Ward as fourth official and Rob Jones on VAR duties.
Bankes has taken charge of nine Premier League games so far this season, blowing for 24.22 fouls and brandishing 4.11 yellow cards per game on average - making him one of the more strict officials. He’s been in the middle of one Leeds game so far, that being a 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle in August.
Leeds United’s recent run-in with Man City referee
Leeds will, of course, have more recent memories of Bankes who was fourth official at Elland Road on Sunday - a game that was also refereed by this weekend’s VAR chief Jones. Between them, the pair played a significant role in influencing Farke’s substitution decisions in the second half.
Farke introduced Ao Tanaka shortly after Leeds went ahead against Aston Villa, with Anton Stach suffering a head injury when challenging Emi Martinez in the build-up, and the Japan international was excellent. There was therefore some confusion when the substitute was substituted with 20 minutes to go.
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Tanaka enjoyed one of his best recent performances, matching the usual technical quality with an aggressiveness by getting stuck into Villa’s midfield. But that earned him a booking just before half-time and a couple more challenges after the break had him on the brink of a red card, with fourth official Bankes making it known to Farke.
After the defeat, Farke revealed: “The fourth official said, ‘listen, the referee wanted to send Ao Tanaka off. Just because he played advantage, he wasn't allowed to give him a second yellow card. I would strongly recommend the next chance, when he has a little foul, he will send him off, just that you're aware, want to be fair’.
“I didn't want to take Ao off because I think performance-wise, he was okay. So today I quite liked it, and I took the risk to play him on for 10 more minutes. But then there was another duel that he was involved in. Then afterwards, I think, come on, we can't ride this risk anymore, I have to substitute him because I probably also need him for the next game.”
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