Keith Hackett cannot believe Luke Ayling escaped red card in Leeds United loss v Liverpool
We’re delighted to welcome former Premier League referee Keith Hackett to the MOT Leeds News team. Each week, Hackett will discuss the big moments from the latest Leeds United games and deliver his verdict on whether his successors got their calls right or wrong…
Keith Hackett has insisted that Leeds United defender Luke Ayling should have seen red in the 6-0 defeat against Liverpool.
The ex-FIFA official was stunned that VAR didn’t intervene after Michael Oliver handed the right-back a yellow card after he brought down Sadio Mane for the second penalty.
Ayling instead only received a yellow card, and will now be free to play against Spurs after escaping a ban.
“Clearly what’s happened is, the Liverpool forward has got ahead of Ayling,” he exclusively told MOT Leeds News. “Once the forward gets the wrong side and he feels a touch, in the modern game, he’s going to go down pretty easily.
“I think that in fairness, in that situation, Oliver considered it very carefully as it was a delayed decision. It’s right to be a penalty kick, it’s a careless challenge from Ayling, the forward put a brake on and he’s caught out.
“Where Oliver has got it wrong is that it’s a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity, I cannot believe that the VAR didn’t come in and say he had made a clear and obvious error. Ayling was lucky to stay on.”
No chance.
Ayling had no chance of slowing down, and it was never a deliberate attempt to bring down Mane as he ran through.
The defence is a real problem at this moment in time, and Illan Meslier is not helping matters behind the back four.
Communication is dreadful and goals are being shipped at an alarming rate, but with injuries easing at the back, Ayling should be back in his preferred position against Spurs.
In other Leeds United news, Jeff Stelling has shared what he has been told about the injury blow to Patrick Bamford over the weekend