Liam Cooper slammed on BT Sport for incident in Leeds United loss at Fulham amid ‘really dangerous’ verdict
Liam Cooper made a “really dangerous” tackle as Leeds United lost at Fulham that could easily have seen him sent off, according to Jermaine Jenas.
The returning Whites captain let the ball run away from him near midfield with the score 1-0 to the home side at Craven Cottage, and lunged with his studs up on Joao Palhinha midway through the second half.
He connected with the ball first, saving him from a sending off, but crashed into the Portuguese midfielder leaving both injured on the turf, and former Premier League referee Peter Walton believed he was lucky not to see red.
Reacting live on BT Sport (22 April, 1.55pm) Jenas said: “He’s had a lunge here Liam Cooper. His only saving grace is he might have just missed him.
“The ball gets away from him, studs are up. It’s a really dangerous tackle. Gets enough of the ball I think, which is why he’s been given a yellow card. He’s hurt himself badly in the middle of it all.”
Walton was brought in to add: “He’s a lucky man actually. He’s just timed it well enough to catch the ball but as Jermaine said a lunge there is a risk the player takes when he’s losing possession.
“In the laws of the game if you lunge at an opponent it’s a red card offence. What he’s done is just timed it enough to get himself that ball, clearly a yellow card for the reckless nature of it. I actually think he’s hurt himself by jarring his knee.”
Jenas agreed that the Leeds United skipper was “massively running the risk”.
Wild
Thankfully for both the ball took the brunt of the impact but as soon as Cooper began to stretch for possession as it began to evade him it looked like being painful.
The Scottish international has missed his fair share of time over the past two seasons with a number of injury problems, so Javi Gracia will have to hope he feels no lasting effects.
On the day Cooper had performed reasonably well otherwise, but couldn’t do anything to prevent another defeat, and another slump after going behind.
The challenge itself did at least suggest some fight, which is more than the could be said for Rasmus Kristensen leaving Fulham players with all the time they needed down the left to provide crosses which the shattered confidence of Illan Meslier saw pushed into the danger area to concede.
Robin Koch, the best of a bad bunch in the back line against Liverpool, was back to his revolving door worst at Craven Cottage, and even the return of Max Wober – oddly stationed at left-back instead of in the middle where he had been so effective – couldn’t rescue matters.
The manager is starting to make some baffling selection decisions, to suggest the heat is getting to him as much as his players.
Cooper was lucky to come away from the game without a bad injury or a red card, but in recording no points at the same time it was another worrying day at the office for his side.
In other Leeds United news, Jenas was infuriated by one Whites ace who was “so poor” and apparently not good enough to even try what he had failed at vs Fulham.