Leeds United and Bournemouth played out an enthralling 2-2 draw on Saturday afternoon, but Daniel Farke and Leeds will feel hard done by for several different reasons.
Goals from Joe Rodon and Sean Longstaff saw Leeds cancel out Antoine Semenyo’s opener from a free-kick, but Eli Junior Kroupi’s volley saw Leeds concede in injury time for the second time in three games.
Leeds were the better side, with Micah Richards saying the Whites deserved a win. Nevertheless, Leeds will have taken a point against a Bournemouth side that were sitting in fourth before the start of the day.
Speaking after the game, however, Farke’s frustration was clear. He believes Michael Oliver’s decision to award a free-kick against Anton Stach for a foul on Ryan Christie was wrong, and was “much too soft”.
Mark Clattenburg disagrees with Daniel Farke over key decision
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds after the game, Farke said it was a free-kick never given in the history of the Premier League, but did concede that perhaps Stach gave Oliver a decision to make and shouldn’t have.
“Never a free-kick, much too soft, first time this has ever been given as a free-kick at Premier League level. Maybe you could argue it was giving the referee a decision, but it was never a foul,” Farke said.
LeedsUnited.News asked Mark Clattenburg for his verdict on Oliver’s decision to award a free-kick for a foul on Christie, and Clattenburg disagrees with Farke. He believes it was the right call made by Oliver.
“Daniel Farke said Michael Oliver’s decision to award Bournemouth a free-kick from which Antoine Semenyo scored was ‘much too soft’. It’s a foul,” Clattenburg told LeedsUnited.News this weekend.
“Anton Stach clearly pushed Ryan Christie without winning the ball, and there was enough contact for Christie to fall over. So, the referee Michael Oliver, who was in a very good position, was right to award it.”
Did Karl Darlow get his wall wrong with Brenden Aaronson?
Semenyo struck the resulting free-kick hard and low, and despite the presence of Aaronson, it flew past a helpless Karl Darlow. The pace of the ball far too quick for Darlow to respond – but was the wall wrong?
It looked off, to the eye of fans. Aaronson seemed to have led down, as instructed by Darlow, in the wrong position. Ultimately, it proved to be the case. If Aaronson was over 6ft, he may have blocked it.
Ultimately, Leeds have got themselves a point against a side that will be looking to push themselves into European competition this season. Farke’s men remain above the average of a point a game, to stay safe.
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