Craig Scott

Tue 13 April 2021 7:10, UK

Garth Crooks has blasted Liam Cooper for his “horrendous tackle” on Gabriel Jesus as the Leeds United captain was sent off against Manchester City on Saturday.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men managed to win 2-1 in the absence of the Scotland international, who is now set for a three-match ban.

Crooks was furious with Cooper’s tackle on Jesus and cannot understand why Andre Marriner needed to use VAR to tell it was a red card.

Speaking on the BBC Sport website, Crooks said: “[Stuart Dallas] took both his goals brilliantly and his second came after Liam Cooper was sent off for what can only be described as a horrendous tackle.

“Quite why Andre Marriner needed to see the incident a second time via VAR I really don’t know. Who goes to see the same horror show twice?”

Deserved red

There’s no denying that it was the right call for Cooper to be sent off and to be without him for the next three matches is a blow.

However, he’s fortunate in the fact that Robin Koch has recently returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury and Diego Llorente has finally started to show a good run of form.

Pascal Struijk is there too so Leeds finally have plenty of options in the centre of their defence – let’s just hope there’s not another injury or two in the coming weeks.

Leeds play Liverpool, Manchester United and Brighton in their next three matches while Cooper watches on from afar.

It will be interesting to see what a centre-back pairing of Spain and Germany internationals Llorente and Koch can do while Cooper is out and whether or not the Scotland centre-back can return to Bielsa’s starting line-up after his ban is over.

We’d be more annoyed about Cooper’s red card if we lost to Man City on Saturday but his sending off probably rallied the Whites more than anything as Dallas netted both goals to secure all three points.

In other Leeds United news, an Argentinean journalist has blasted Bielsa and Leeds in a weird rant after the win over Man City.