Dermot Gallagher shares verdict on Liam Cooper red card controversy from Leeds United loss v Fulham live on Sky Sports
Dermot Gallagher believes the referee made the right decision not to send off Liam Cooper during Leeds United’s loss to Fulham.
The Whites suffered a 2-1 loss at Craven Cottage on Saturday lunchtime (22 April), making it four losses from five games and leaving the team just one point above the relegation zone with six games to play.
But there was an incident during the second half where captain Cooper could have seen red after going in hard in a 50/50 with Joao Palhinha, but while appearing on Sky Sports News’ “Ref Watch” segment (24 April), former Premier League referee Gallagher felt a yellow card was right.
“Not for me,” he said. “I talk about players going low. Both players are reaching for the ball, the ball is loose.
“If you look at Cooper, he’s got the ball with his studs and he’s gone through the ball. It’s not as if he’s gone over the ball.
“We saw one earlier in the season with Casemiro where he went over the top of the ball into the shin. He doesn’t. I think they both connect. But for me, not a red card.”
Right decision
Football is a contact sport and there are no fans of the game who want to lose that element of it.
Cooper’s tackle was hard and strong, but it was fair and while he made contact with the shin of Palhinha it was after making contact with the ball first and was just a product of momentum.
There was no malice or intent, and there was no excessive force in the tackle either and a yellow card was a more than fair and adequate outcome.
People calling for a red card either don’t understand the sport or are angry about past decisions going against them, because there was a clear difference between this and the Casemiro tackle they mentioned.
With Cooper available for the next game against Leicester, we need his leadership and quality on the pitch to shine through and help us earn three points in what is now a must-win game after recent results.
In other Leeds news, Jeff Stelling has predicted the result of the Premier League clash with Leicester.