Ronaldo Vieira was sent off at a crucial time in Leeds United’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.
Ronaldo Vieira
While Wolves winning against Leeds seemed to be something of a formality from the moment Barry Douglas found the back of the net inside the first 15 minutes with a brilliant free-kick on Wednesday, there was a very brief period in the game where Thomas Christiansen’s men gaining a positive result did not seem to be out of the question.
The Whites went into the break 2-0 down and it appeared that it may be a question of how many goals the Championship leaders would score before the full-time whistle.
Thomas Christiansen
However, just three minutes into the second-half, a stunning pass from Samuel Saiz was met by Gjanni Alioski, who made it two goals from two with a brilliant volley from just inside the box to hand Leeds a major lifeline.
But any chance of a Leeds fightback were effectively dashed when Ronaldo Vieira received a second yellow card 13 minutes after the goal to leave the Whites down to 10 men – and Wolves took full advantage, scoring two more goals to win 4-1.
Though Leeds were second best for much of the game, the 13 minute period between the goal and the red card would have given the Whites plenty of belief that they could sneak a point, or perhaps even more, that would have given their confidence a further boost following the win over Middlesbrough at the weekend.
Vieira may be criticised for the sending off, but perhaps Christiansen should also be facing some questions for leaving the midfielder on the pitch when the warning signs were there.
The youngster was warned by the referee just a matter of minutes before he picked up a second yellow, and with Eunan O’Kane on the bench, it could be argued that Christiansen should have thought about taking Vieira off before he got the chance to leave the referee with a decision.
Kalvin Phillips being booked just before Vieira’s second yellow may have influenced his decision, but the fact that the latter was given what appeared to be a final warning just before being dismissed should have encouraged him to make the change.
Keeping 11 men on the pitch would have undoubtedly given Leeds a better chance of building on Alioski’s goal, and of course, Vieira would not be suspended for the tricky trip to Barnsley at the weekend, so not replacing Vieira when he had the chance may be one decision that Christiansen will be disappointed with.
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