Ethan Ampadu spotted in dialogue with Stuart Attwell after Sunderland incident that had Leeds fans fuming
Ethan Amapadu was trying to explain to Stuart Attwell that he was being deceived by Sunderland’s dark arts in the first half.
The opening stages of Leeds’ encounter were cagey as expected, but it was the hosts that were on top without posing much of a threat.
Sunderland were well and truly under the cosh, and an incident involving their debutant goalkeeper, Melker Ellborg, forced the game to be stopped, and Ampadu was having none of it.
As reported by Graham Smyth, the Leeds captain was in dialogue with Attwell while the Black Cats players went over to the touchline to regroup, and one can only imagine what the Wales international was saying.
Elland Road’s faithful saw right through the “injury” and voiced their annoyance with boos aimed towards the visitors.
- Read more: Premier League put out announcement after Ethan Ampadu incident in Leeds United loss vs Sunderland
Stuart Attwell was the talking point of the first half
Not only did Attwell allow Sunderland to get away with their attempts to slow the game down, but he also denied the Whites what appeared to be a clear penalty just seconds before.
Leeds had a flurry of corners that came to nothing, but one of them almost certainly should have been followed by a penalty kick after Luke O’Nien fouled Pascal Struijk.
O’Nien was nowhere near the ball and almost had his arms wrapped around the neck of Struijk, with the incident not going unnoticed by Leeds supporters.
The game wasn’t stopped for a VAR check, nor was Attwell asked to review the incident, though it should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Several Premier League sides have been done over by some awful decisions recently, including Sunderland, and this is just another one to add to the list.
Opening stages of Leeds vs Sunderland showcased what Daniel Farke must change
Sunderland looked to slow the game down wherever possible, and that led to several set pieces being awarded to the Whites.
In the first half alone, Leeds had five corners and were awarded 13 free kicks, and yet they failed to test Ellborg more than once.
Anton Stach had their only shot on target in the first 45, and that was a speculative effort from a free kick.
With the height that Leeds have at their disposal, they need to be able to pose much more of a threat from these situations if they are to reach their full potential.
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