Mark Clattenburg has given his verdict on the Max Dowman penalty incident to Leeds United News after the Whites slipped to a heavy Premier League defeat against Arsenal.
Leeds United were already well on their way to a heavy defeat against Arsenal when new signing Anton Stach brought down the prodigiously talented 15-year-old, Max Dowman, in the box.
Viktor Gyokeres converted the subsequent penalty to add an extra gloss to a damaging defeat for Leeds. However, there was an element of controversy over the decision, as Gary Neville questioned the call live as part of the Sky Sports commentary.
Although the decision was ultimately irrelevant to the outcome of the game, Arsenal’s fifth goal added a level of humiliation to the loss, which hurt Jermaine Beckford.
Now, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has given his verdict on the incident exclusively to Leeds United News.
Max Dowman goes down in the box under a challenge from Anton Stach during Arsenal v Leeds United - Premier League
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Exclusive: Mark Clattenburg delivers verdict on Max Dowman penalty incident
Despite the protests of Leeds’ beleaguered defenders, referee Jarred Gillett awarded a penalty to Arsenal after a short delay.
Subsequent replays show that Stach made contact with Dowman’s foot and, according to Clattenburg, this contact was sufficient to warrant a penalty being awarded.
Speaking to Leeds United News, Clattenburg said: “Max Dowman has his foot stepped on by Anton Stach, which trips him before another bit of contact on the leg as he was falling.
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“This is a correct penalty award by Jarred Gillett, who was in a good position to see the contact.”
Mark Clattenburg during his refereeing career.
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Leeds United suffer first defeat with Jarred Gillett as referee
Although Gillett will undoubtedly be relieved to have made the right decision to award a penalty to Arsenal, the penalty did not influence the heavy loss for Leeds.
It also meant that the Whites suffered their first defeat with Gillett as referee, ending a run which stretched back to 2020.
Gillett has only taken charge of six Leeds United fixtures in that period, with the first being a 1-0 win over Reading in their 2019/20 promotion season.
Since then, Leeds have won three and drawn two under Gillett, before their defeat at the Emirates, according to the data from Transfermarkt.