Daniel Farke left bemused by refereeing decisions against Manchester City
Leeds United were left frustrated after falling to a narrow 1–0 defeat against Manchester City at Elland Road on Saturday night.
Leeds were the better side for long stretches of the first half, pressing aggressively and creating clearer openings. They looked far more likely to break the deadlock, but couldn’t make their dominance count. That missed opportunity came back to haunt them when City winger Antoine Semenyo struck late in the half to give the visitors the lead.
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The night ended in controversy. Leeds were convinced they deserved a penalty for handball, but the decision went against them, sparking anger on and off the pitch. After the final whistle, head coach Daniel Farke was shown a red card for his protests towards referee Peter Bankes, capping off a deeply frustrating evening for the home side.
Bankes and the VAR’s decision not to award Leeds a penalty for the clear handball deeply irked everyone at Elland Road, and now an explanation has come out.
Leeds United won’t be happy after Premier League explanation
Bankes was not the most popular figure in Leeds after last night’s clash at Elland Road, and Farke made his feelings clear towards him at the final whistle.
The Leeds bench was left bemused when an obvious Manchester City handball didn’t lead to the awarding of a penalty to the home side at Elland Road
VAR cleared the incident as well, which was shocking as it seemed like a clear infringement and Leeds deserved a penalty.
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Premier League has issued an explanation for not awarding a spot-kick to Leeds on Saturday night.
VAR deemed that the Manchester City player’s arm was in a natural position, meaning there was no reason to send referee Bankes to the monitor for a second look.
The Whites had no luck on Saturday night
Leeds have been at the end of dubious refereeing calls throughout the season, but it seemed they were extra unlucky on Saturday night and saw some horrible decisions.
There is little doubt that VAR would have intervened had Bankes awarded Leeds a penalty straightaway, as it would not have been an obvious error.
VAR and Bankes also missed Ilia Gruev getting stamped on, which should have been a straight red to the Manchester City player.
Farke got a red card for losing his cool and remonstrating with the referee at the final whistle, for which the Premier League also issued a statement.
Manchester City should be more than aware that they were lucky to leave Elland Road with three points in the bag.