Stephen Warnock has questioned whether Leeds United were allowed to show an in-stadium replay of West Ham United’s disallowed goal on Saturday.
West Ham won 2-1 away at Elland Road after Michail Antonio scored a fine last-minute winner for the Hammers.
But Antonio thought he’d helped the Irons score a second earlier in the second half when Tomas Soucek fired into an empty net following a fumble from Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
The goal was chalked off after referee Kevin Friend consulted a monitor and witnessed Meslier taking one in the face from Antonio’s elbow – something the player himself claimed afterwards was a fair challenge.
Friend booked the West Ham attacker but Leeds supporters around Elland Road were calling for a red after a replay of the foul was shown on the big screen inside the stadium.
Here is what Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live of the incident: “He was definitely impeded, when he went up for the header I thought it was a fair challenge from the position that we were in. However from watching the replay, it is an elbow to the chin.
“You can here the reaction around the stadium as they show it on the screen – is that even allowed anymore?! It was purely accidental it wasn’t malicious.”
It did seem a strange decision by Leeds to show it on the big screen.
That only increases the pressure on the referee but Friend made the right decision in the end by booking him.
The Leeds faithful were baying for blood but the West Ham star – who ran Marcelo Bielsa’s side ragged all afternoon – was only deserving of a caution because, as Warnock said, there was no malice in the sense that he tried to hurt the young French goalkeeper, who was brilliant throughout the clash.
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