Eddie Gray comments on penalty Leeds wanted in Derby defeat

Follow us on Google Discover

Leeds United were disappointed with two penalty decisions during their defeat to Derby County in midweek.

Eddie Gray has told LUTV that he would not have given Leeds a penalty during the first-half of their Championship clash with Derby on Tuesday night.

The Whites were angered before the break after Gjanni Alioski went to ground as the ball was fired across the six-yard box. But despite the protests, the referee avoided pointing to the spot.

And Gray has suggested that he would not have given a penalty either, and added that the winger did not help himself anyway with his theatrics as he went to ground.

“I must say if you’re the referee, the first thing I think you look at is a dive,” he told LUTV.

“And there’s no doubt Alioski did throw himself to the ground and I think that takes away – even if there is contact, if there was contact, it was minimal. I’ll be honest, if I was the referee, I’d have never given a penalty kick for that. No way.”

Of course, the frustration over the decision was exacerbated as the game went on with Derby turning the game around after going a goal down and scoring twice – with the winner coming in incredibly controversial circumstances.

Derby were awarded a spot-kick when Hadi Sacko made a challenge which replays showed initially took place outside the box. And the anger over that decision was amplified by the fact that the official did not award a similarly soft spot-kick for the home side.

And of course, the respective decisions – right or wrong – hurt all the more for Leeds as they contributed to a result that sees the Whites’ poor run continue and leaves Thomas Christiansen’s men bereft of confidence.