Jermaine Beckford ‘felt sorry’ for player after what happened in Leeds United v Middlesbrough
Jermaine Beckford “felt sorry” for Middlesbrough defender Matt Clarke after the defender gave away a penalty moments after coming on against Leeds United.
Clarke was brought on for the injured Paddy McNair in the 36th minute of the Championship clash at Elland Road on Saturday (2 December).
The 27-year-old then brought down Georginio Rutter moments later to concede a spot-kick, which Joel Piroe duly converted to extend Leeds’ advantage.
As explained by Beren Cross on Leeds Live’s coverage of the match [2 December]: “Clarke’s first act was to go to ground, watch Rutter go by him and then stick out an arm to stop him.”
Speaking on LUTV [2 December, 16:09], pundit Beckford said: “I called a penalty straight away. I felt sorry for Clarke because he’s literally only just come on the pitch, not even 10 seconds.
“Rutter takes a great first touch, opens his body and does get a bit of fortune because the ball bounces into Clarke and he drags him down.”
Horror moment
Talk about being caught cold! Clarke barely had a chance to get into position when Rutter got at him and ultimately won a penalty for Leeds.
The Middlesbrough substitute could have no complaints as he quite clearly felled Rutter, with referee Darren England pointing to the spot.
It is fair to say those in the stands at Elland Road did not have any sympathy for Clarke, as the spot-kick came at a crucial time for United.
Having fallen a goal down early on, they recovered to race 3-1 ahead before seeing out a 3-2 victory on home soil.
Piroe deserves credit for tucking away from 12 yards, too, with what was a fine penalty.
All in all it was a good day at the office for Leeds, but not quite so for Clarke, who also picked up a booking for his troubles.
In other Leeds United news, a Whites player came in for criticism for something he did against Middlesbrough.