Steve Bruce was left stunned as referee Tim Robinson failed to award Leeds United a penalty during a controversial moment against Sunderland on Tuesday (9 April).
It was a match of small margins as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw in the Championship, with the Whites unable to capitalize on Leicester City’s unexpected defeat to Millwall.
A penalty would have given Leeds the perfect opportunity to steal all three points, also putting further pressure on the Foxes and Ipswich Town at the top of the Championship table.
Reacting to the incident live on Sky Sports News (9 April, 9:37 pm),
Bruce said: “The referee’s had a good look at it. Where’s VAR when you want it? He’s [Luke O’Nien] basically punched it. It’s come in from a corner and it’s O’Nien, who has defended fantastically well all night, goes up with his arm – it’s a clear penalty. In the Premier League, that would be stopped and the penalty would be given, which would be the right decision.”
While also fuming about the handball decision falling in the Black Cats’ favor, Daniel Farke will mainly be disappointed at his team’s lacking display in front of the home crowd. The Leeds side showed little danger going forward, with Sunderland threatening at the other end of the pitch, though neither set of attackers were good enough to hit the back of the net.
There is no doubt that VAR would have helped on a couple of occasions during the match. The referee also missed a handball decision after a shot from Crysencio Summerville hit Daniel Ballard’s elbow. Despite the missed penalty calls, Leeds should have taken matters into their own hands and upped the tempo, rather than focus on what could have been.
Championship rivals Leicester left a door wide open for Leeds to walk straight through to the top of the table, but the Whites failed to take that chance, marking their first game without scoring since December. Ipswich Town will feel like the real winners after Tuesday, who are set to take on Watford at Portman Road on Wednesday 10 April.
In hindsight, the failure to secure a penalty may haunt Leeds United as they reflect on a missed opportunity to gain ground in the Championship title race. With the margins for error growing increasingly narrow as the season progresses, every point lost becomes more significant.
The frustration over the referee’s decisions highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the implementation of VAR in football and its potential impact on match outcomes.