Sky Sports pundit reacts to Leeds United controversy v Rotherham on air today
Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith believes Leeds United should have been awarded a penalty against Rotherham United during their 1-1 draw on Friday night.
Crysencio Summerville’s early opener was cancelled out by Hakeem Odoffin on the stroke of half-time, despite an utterly dominant performance by the Whites.
With the score tied, an attempted tackle from Lee Peltier on Dan James in the penalty box has caused a stir online.
On Saturday (25 November, 1:15pm), Smith said live on Sky Sports News, “You look at the second half. Should they have had a penalty? Yes, they probably should have.”
With a lack of VAR in the Championship, referee Oliver Langford could only watch the challenge in real-time and was clearly happy with the incident, as no foul was given.
A point on the road
A draw away from home is by no means a poor result. But Leeds will be disappointed not to have claimed all three points, especially with a hugely dominant first half that the visitors could have easily won three or four to nil.
There is no doubt that the Whites were sloppy at times, with Liam Cooper coming to the rescue with a clearance off the line in the second half the most blinding chance for Rotherham.
Leeds’ 74 per cent possession, and their 18 shots compared to the Millers’ six, will be some glaring statistics for those players. However, it is also a testament to the way Daniel Farke wants his team to play and how Leeds have still got more gears to click into.
While the point closes the gap between them and the top two – Leicester City and Ipswich Town – before the weekend’s fixtures, it is still frustrating to know that Leeds probably should have been awarded a penalty, which could have seen the gap close even further to just five points.
In other Leeds United news, a Sky Sports pundit believes a Whites player will be “frustrated” by his treatment since joining.