Leeds United were reduced to 10 men on Sunday afternoon as Gabriel Gudmundsson was shown a red card by referee Thomas Bramall at Selhurst Park and Mark Clattenburg has had his say.
The flashpoint arrived during Leeds United’s trip to Crystal Palace, where the game eventually finished in a goalless draw after a tense afternoon shaped by a penalty miss and a red card before the interval.
Leeds were handed the biggest chance of the entire game when Dominic Calvert-Lewin stepped forward from the penalty spot. Will Hughes had handled the ball from an Anton Stach corner.
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But Calvert-Lewin failed to convert the opportunity, putting the ball a yard wide of Walter Benitez’s right-hand post. Chris Sutton, on co-commentary for Sky Sports, described the miss as “horrible”.
Mark Clattenburg says if Gudmundsson red was the correct call
Leeds were in the ascendancy, but the turning point came when Gabriel Gudmundsson was penalised for a challenge on Ismaila Sarr during a Palace counterattack.
Referee Thomas Bramall produced a second yellow card for the foul on Ismaila Sarr, with the dismissal arriving shortly before half-time after Gudmundsson had already been cautioned earlier in the match.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg believes the decision was straightforward once the nature of the challenge was assessed.
Clattenburg explained that the tackle reached the threshold for a reckless challenge due to the speed of the challenge and the level of force used against the opponent.
Because Gudmundsson had already been booked earlier, the referee had little option once the foul was judged to be reckless. He told LeedsUnited.News: “Gudmundsson was correctly given a yellow card.
“A reckless challenge in midfield, which had speed and degree of force on his opponent. He had already been cautioned earlier in the match, so was correctly given a second yellow card.”
Gudmundsson will now receive one-match automatic ban
Like manager Daniel Farke suffered prior to the trip to Selhurst Park, Gudmundsson will now be missing for one game. The ban will be enforced next weekend, when Leeds play host to high-flying Brentford.
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Luckily for Farke, Leeds will have both Jayden Bogle and James Justin to choose from. Replacing the Swedish defender is pretty straightforward, with Justin likely to go over to the left flank next Saturday.
But there is no doubt that Leeds are a weaker side without Gudmundsson, who many feel has been the best signing of the 2025-26 season. Leeds now sit on 32 points, a step closer to the magical 40 mark.
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