Stuart Dallas can’t believe what he saw in Leeds loss v Portsmouth – ‘Terrible’
Leeds United bottled their lead at the top of the Championship table after losing 1-0 against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Sunday.
Colby Bishop’s sole goal just after the one-hour mark saw Pompey hand Leeds their first Championship defeat since November on 9 March, thus allowing Sheffield United to go level with them with 10 games left to play.
Junior Firpo came closest to scoring for Daniel Farke’s side as he hit the woodwork in the 77th minute, but ultimately it was a poor performance from the Premier League promotion contenders.
With Burnley sitting just two points behind, the Whites now risk having to participate in the playoffs as the league enters its final lap.
Stuart Dallas fumes at Dan James penalty incident
While Leeds have no one but themselves to blame for the result, they will feel hard done by after they were denied a penalty for a foul on Dan James by Matt Ritchie early on in the first half.
Looking back at the incident at half-time, Stuart Dallas cut a frustrated figure as he hit out at referee Robert Jones’ decision not to award the visitors an obvious penalty.
| Teams | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goal Difference | Points |
| 1. Leeds | 36 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 49 | 76 |
| 2. Sheffield United | 36 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 76 |
| 3. Burnley | 36 | 20 | 14 | 2 | 39 | 74 |
The Elland Road icon admitted that he initially thought the official was going to point to the spot after noticing him make a gesture towards his mouth.
However, he was left infuriated instead and described the decision as “terrible”.
“It’s a penalty all day long”, Dallas said on ITV (12:53 pm, 9 March).
“I don’t know how [it is denied] and I was watching the ref, he makes a gesture towards his mouth as if he was going to give it.
“I don’t know how he hasn’t given it. If you see him there with his right arm, he almost goes to blow it.
“Listen, he’s kicked him right in the back of the leg, we can see it here in the close-up.
“Dan James gets the ball and he comes right through the back of it, it’s a penalty all day long and it’s a terrible decision, to be honest.”
"In the Premier League, that's a certain penalty…"
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 9, 2025
Should Leeds United have been awarded a penalty for Matt Ritchie's challenge on Dan James? pic.twitter.com/ZDzCTkPzQJ
Leeds winless in two Championship games
Leeds are now winless in two Championship games after being held to a 1-1 draw by West Brom at Elland Road last Saturday (1 March).
If the Whites are to miss out on automatic promotion at the end of the league campaign, Farke and Co will look at these two results with much disappointment.
Dropping five points in two consecutive games has allowed Sheffield United to go level with them on the table, while Burnley have reduced the gap to just two points.
Leeds have two more games before the international break this month and it is imperative that they win those games if they want to keep their place atop the table.