Pep Clotet thinks Leeds were fortunate during dramatic win against Birmingham

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Leeds United and Birmingham City were involved in a nine-goal thriller on Sunday.

Pep Clotet has suggested that Leeds United were fortunate to beat Birmingham City 5-4 in a dramatic Championship encounter on Sunday afternoon at St Andrew’s.

The Blues boss aimed a dig at the senior man in the middle, Keith Stroud, by claiming that his side ‘weren’t only competing against Leeds’ yesterday. Clotet pointed towards the fifth goal and questioned why the referee created a corner out of nothing.

Whilst the home team thought they had recorded a point in stoppage-time, Leeds secured all three points seconds before the end when Wes Harding bundled the ball into the back of his own net.

After the game, Clotet was pretty unhappy that his side didn’t walk away from the game with at least a point, as he stated that decisions were going Leeds’ way ‘the whole game’.

“The team managed to get back into the game three times and we would have got a deserved result if the ref doesn’t create himself a corner on the last bit [the fifth goal],” said Clotet, as quoted by The Birmingham Mail. “It’s a very clear goal kick, out of nothing he gives them the corner where they scored. We were not only competing against Leeds.

“I think Leeds benefitted from a lot of the decisions that went strangely their way the whole game. Quietly I am very unhappy for most of the performances we had from the referees this season. I understand they are human but today again affected the result.

“When it is a decision that could be a mistake, it could be a mistake but I don’t think you can make a mistake if it’s a goal kick or a corner when there’s only one player touching the ball.”

Whether or not Leeds were fortunate during that game is up for debate, but one thing is for sure, Bielsa’s side have had their own share of hard luck this season.

Two standout incidents are those penalties which were awarded to Fulham and Millwall during this campaign, which resulted in them dropping points.

Either way, the Leeds fans won’t be too fussed because they have ended 2019 in a dramatic fashion and they can now turn their attention to 2020 and hoping to earn promotion back to the Premier League.