There was plenty of discussion surrounding the referee’s performance in Leeds United’s 2-1 win against Sunderland.
In the highly anticipated fixture, Leeds won 2-1 against Sunderland but Stuart Atwell had a night to forget, as Whites fans will certainly let him know about his performance.
It was originally announced that Craig Pawson would referee Leeds vs Sunderland, which caused uproar due to him supporting Sheffield United.
However, Atwell came in as a last-minute replacement for Pawson, but you’d think he was supporting the Blades after Monday night’s performance.
The Premier League referee made a shocking error against Leeds on the 50th minute mark which didn’t go down well at all.
Stuart Atwell told he made a major error in Leeds United vs Sunderland
During the 50th-minute mark with things on a knife-edge after Wilson Isidor’s opener, frustration was certainly creeping in around Elland Road.
But this frustration only grew after Atwell made a terrible error that didn’t favour Daniel Farke’s side at all.
The referee opted against awarding Leeds a penalty when Dennis Cirkin wrestled Ao Tanaka to the ground which certainly raised eyebrows.
Graham Smyth labelled it as a ‘rugby tackle’ and his statement sums up Atwell’s performance.
Adam Pope believed Cirkin should’ve been sent off vs Leeds
Farke has labelled a referee ‘ridiculous’ this season so you can imagine he’ll have some harsh words for Atwell.
BBC Radio Leeds commentator Adam Pope believed the Sunderland full-back deserved a much more severe punishment.
“For me, he should be off now,” Pope said.
“He’s only done that challenge because he knows he’s got one in the bag.”
In the end, the decision from Atwell didn’t affect Leeds, but it can definitely be looked back on as a strange choice.
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