Chris Kavanagh let down by colleagues after ‘moronic’ moment in Leeds win vs Fulham
Fulham were lucky to avoid a sending off in the first half against Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday.
Marco Silva’s team travelled to West Yorkshire on 17 January, and Facundo Buonanotte didn’t come off the bench at Elland Road for his debut as the game ended in a 1-0 victory for the hosts after a last-gasp winner from Lukas Nmecha.
The Whites were forced into a few changes after injuries to Anton Stach and Jaka Bijol, and it looks like Karl Darlow has displaced Lucas Perri, who has made a few errors in recent matches.
At around the half-hour mark, Sasa Lukic kicked the ball away as the referee blew his whistle, and with the midfielder already on the yellow card, he may have been fortunate not to see red.
Sasa Lukic deserved second yellow vs Leeds United
Chris Kavanagh had a busy first half as Leeds faced Fulham, with the on-field referee brandishing the yellow card four times, including one to Silva.
With Lukic already in the book, former Premier League and FIFA-listed referee Keith Hackett believes he deserved to be sanctioned further for kicking the ball away at Elland Road.
However, with Kavanagh unable to see the Serbia international’s actions, it was arguably up to the two linesmen and the fourth official to bring the incident to his attention, but they failed to do so.
Speaking exclusively to MOT Leeds News, Hackett said, “Lukic, on a yellow card, showed no sense by kicking the ball away. This is, of course, an act of dissent by action, and the sanction is a yellow. So the question you must ask is, where are the two assistants and the fourth official to bring this to the attention of the referee?”
Writing on X about Lukic, YEP journalist Graham Smyth said, “Lukic kicks the ball away, on a yellow. Moronic. Referee didn’t see it, but his lino must have. Gets away with it.”
Brenden Aaronson was the standout player at Elland Road as Nmecha took the plaudits in the end for his late strike.
The Peacocks have ensured they maintain their distance from the relegation zone, and three points on the day will certainly go a long way.
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Daniel Farke has new game-changer at Elland Road
Farke wanted Buonanotte last summer, but the Argentina international chose to join Chelsea instead, where he struggled with limited game time.
Leeds are now finally able call upon the 21-year-old to bring his creativity and energy onto the pitch in the second half of the season.
While the youngster didn’t get a chance to make his debut at Elland Road against Fulham, he will surely have a role to play in the coming matches.
Farke’s substitutions often do the trick, as seen with Nmecha, with fans in LS11 thrilled to get back to winning ways.