Mike Dean offers verdict on incident live on Sky Sports in Leeds United showdown v Middlesbrough
Mike Dean has admitted that a controversial decision to not award Leeds United a penalty during their clash with Middlesbrough could have “gone either way”.
Daniel Farke’s side ran out 3-2 winners at Elland Road on Saturday 2 December, thanks to goals from Dan James Crysencio Summerville and Joel Piroe early in the first half, but felt they should have been awarded a penalty midway through the opening period.
Sam Byram was seemingly brought down by Morgan Rogers in the area, only for Darren England to wave away the Whites’ appeals for a penalty. While Dean believed the referee made the right call, he did admit it could have gone either way.
Speaking on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday (2 December, 15:27) he said: “I’ve only seen it once but I thought he got a slight touch on the ball, to be honest with you.
“It could have gone either way, but I think Darren England made the right call.”
Slight touch
Ultimately England did award Leeds United a penalty later in the first half when Matthew Clarke was penalised for bringing down Georginio Rutter, but the Whites can feel slightly frustrated that they didn’t have two spot kicks in the opening period.
While Dean’s excuse that Rogers got some of the ball may have previously been a valid reason to not give a penalty, defenders are being penalised week in and week out in the Premier League for following through with their challenged and touching opponents after winning the ball.
Every side in the Championship will feel as though these 50/50 decisions go against them more often than not, but ultimately it didn’t prove to be too costly in the grand scheme of things as Farke’s team had more than enough quality to claim all three points.
Few teams in England’s second tier are as great a threat in attack as the Whites and they seem to be causing all of their opponents problems week in and week out. Boro are by no means an easy side to beat, but Leeds tore them apart with ease at times at Elland Road on Saturday.
In other Leeds United news, Inter Milan have identified Illan Meslier as a potential transfer target as they look to strengthen between the posts