COME ON, REF!
Rodgers angry as close calls thwart comeback
BRENDAN Rodgers lambasted the decision-making “process” after three controversial calls went against Leicester City in their 2-1 defeat to Brighton.
The City manager could not hide his disappointment that his side’s spirited fightback had not resulted in any points, and he questioned how referee Stuart Attwell and his assistant reached their conclusions.
The first incident saw Brighton awarded a penalty for handball against Jannik Vestergaard, but the Dane had his arm held by spot-kick
scorer Neal Maupay, an action seemingly not spotted by any of the officials.
Then, as City tried to battle back, they had two goals ruled out in nearidentical fashion, Harvey Barnes adjudged to have been obstructing goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from an offside position when Ademola Lookman and Wilfred Ndidi scored.
The second of those calls, Ndidi thumping a header in, particularly frustrated Rodgers.
“The first one is never a penalty,” he said in his post-match press conference. “I was disappointed with the process, it’s clear it wasn’t a penalty.
“He (Vestergaard) is fouled, he’s been twisted, and his arm is up, the ball is headed on to his arm and he’s not even looking at it.
“It’s a very harsh decision, the fourth official didn’t see it, the linesman was quite a way away, and then for it not to be looked at by Stuart (on his pitchside VAR screen), I was disappointed.”
On the disallowed goals, he added: “The first one I can understand, it might have been similar to Norwich (when the Canaries had a goal ruled out for an offside obstruction).
“The second one, everything is in front of him (Sanchez). It’s a great leap and at no time was he ever blocked, he’s seen it all the way. It’s a goal clear as day.”
City needed to produce a comeback after a woeful half-hour period at the end of the first half, and at the very start of the second, in which Brighton were well on top, dominating play and causing havoc in a ragged Leicester defence.
But after Danny Welbeck headed in their second, City rapidly improved, and Rodgers felt his side were more than worthy of something by the end of the game.
“We started the game well in terms of control and had good positions, and pushed them back, but then I felt we started to go in central too early, and they were able to break away from that,” the manager said.
“We needed more penetration, and so we put an actual winger on, and Ade (Lookman) was outstanding. Then we were able to play how we wanted.
“They get a free-kick and score the second but from that moment on, our reaction, we played with the personality I need to see in the team.
“By the end, we deserved something. The first goal knocked us out of our rhythm, but in the second half we were so much better in the speed of our game, we should have got something.”