Leeds United are in the driving seat to reach the play-off final at Wembley.
Simon Grayson has claimed that Liam Cooper could have ”quite easily’ received a second yellow card and then been sent off for Leeds during their 1-0 play-off semi-final win against Derby on Saturday.
In the second half, when Leeds had a free-kick, Cooper seemingly threw himself to the ground without any real contact as the ball went above everyone trying to either defend it or attack it.
As Cooper got up to run back towards his own goal, Derby County players, including Richard Keogh and Bradley Johnson expressed their anger at what Cooper had just done.
Speaking to TalkSport (11/05/2019 at 6:45 pm) during the play-off semi-final, former Leeds man Grayson picked up on that moment and admitted that Cooper could have seen red.
“It could have quite easily been a second yellow card and led him to the red card (He was already on a yellow at the time),” Grayson told TalkSport. “It’s a bit strange from Liam Cooper to do something like that when he was already booked when he was going to get nowhere near the ball.”
Cooper wasn’t the only Leeds player that Derby were calling to be sent off because Mateusz Klich appeared to headbutt Fikayo Tomori as he was getting up from the ground.
The Leeds midfielder was shown a yellow card for his actions by referee Craig Pawson which clearly frustrated the home supporters and players.
Nonetheless, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have a much-needed advantage going into the second leg at Elland Road where any scoreline other than a defeat would see them preparing for that Wembley trip.
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