Premier League panel says Leeds should have had penalty in Sunderland’s 1-0 win | OneFootball

According to Sunderland Echo, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel has found Leeds United should have been awarded a first-half penalty in Sunderland’s 1-0 win at Elland Road, and that VAR should have stepped in.

The flashpoint came on 3 March, with the game goalless, when Leeds earned a 16th-minute corner and Luke O’Nien tangled with Pascal Struijk as the ball was delivered.

The panel said referee Stuart Attwell should have pointed to the spot and VAR official Paul Tierney ought to have intervened. Their report judged O’Nien impeded Struijk’s run, was not focused on the ball and held him, prompting a unanimous penalty verdict.

Sunderland ultimately won through a 70th-minute penalty after Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu was penalised for handball, a decision confirmed on review. The panel backed that intervention by 5-0, noting a secondary arm movement that diverted the ball.

Leeds head coach Daniel Farke was forthright afterwards, calling it an obvious penalty and questioning why VAR did not check the earlier incident. He added it can be difficult for the on-field referee to spot such moments in real time.

Source: Sunderland Echo