Graham Smyth slams ‘mess’ he witnessed in Leeds United v Southampton
Graham Smyth has slammed referee Matt Donohue after Leeds United were defeated 2-1 by Southampton on Saturday (4 May).
The Whites needed to claim all three points to have any chance of pipping Ipswich Town to automatic promotion on the final day of the Championship, a team who only had to avoid defeat against Huddersfield Town.
While the Leeds players will have been in the dark over Ipswich’s 2-0 victory at Portman Road, the match turned quite feisty as seven yellow cards were dished out by Donohue.
Writing for the Yorkshire Evening Post on Sunday (5 May), Smyth wrote: “He managed to turn what ended up being a damp squib of a game into one that threatened to boil over.
“Inconsistency, mistakes, a lack of authority, soft yellows, incredible leniency for those already on yellows. It was a bit of a mess.”
Leeds United v Southampton causes chaos at Elland Road
With a total of 35 fouls committed during the match, as per FotMob, it is clear why so many cautions were given out by referee Donohue. However, he could have chosen a different approach.
Considering Leeds’ recent form going into the final game of the season, it is understandable why some of Daniel Farke’s players could have shown signs of frustration, especially after going 2-1 down in the first half.
Junior Firpo is a player who could have possibly seen red, but finished the game with a yellow card, while Ilia Gruev, Wilfried Gnonto and Joel Piroe all picked up cautions for the Whites.
This end to the game will be a concern for Farke, who will need to traverse the Championship play-offs after missing out on the top two places.
The manager must ensure his players keep their emotions in check as they prepare to face Norwich City in a two-legged tie, starting with a clash at Carrow Road on Sunday 12 May.
In other Leeds news, Richard Keys and Andy Gray have reacted after the club missed out on promotion following defeat to Southampton.
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