Late anguish for Hampton
ANTONIO RUDIGER has branded referee Kevin Friend’s decision not to send off Everton winger Bernard for the headbutt that felled him at Stamford Bridge as “a joke”.
But the defender also slammed Chelsea’s performance in the goalless draw as a failure – and warned that if his team cannot win games like that they have no chance of challenging Manchester City and Liverpool for the title.
The Germany international clashed with Everton’s diminutive Brazilian winger just before half-time in a bad- tempered game that saw several poor challenges. The incident happened after Rudiger tried to pull Bernard to his feet after the Brazilian fell to the ground, but then Bernard, who is only 5ft 4ins, appeared to lunge at the German, who is almost a foot taller. There did appear to be contact, and the Chelsea defender went over as if poleaxed.
Friend booked both players, but Rudiger fumed: “If in England we had VAR at Premier League games then Bernard has a problem.
“He was diving and I told him to stand up, and then I was standing and he came with a lot of speed and hit me with his forehead, and I get a yellow card. That’s a joke.
“The referee didn’t see anything. Maybe the fourth official said something to him, that maybe I provoked or something. But I just said, ‘Stand up’.
“If there was VAR Bernard would have been sent off. Maybe it would have changed the game, I don’t know. But I know one thing, if we had VAR – he is off. It is annoying, because I don’t even tackle someone or do anything and get booked for being headbutted. That is a joke. But I have to accept it.”
Rudiger’s reaction to contact was slammed the by ROB HUNT and Callum Lang scored late goals to send Oldham through just as it looked as if Hampton & Richmond Borough were heading for history.
The National League South minnows led for more than 70 minutes thanks to Chris Dickson’s penalty and were closing on a place in the FA Cup second round for the first time.
It was a tie that appeared to tick every romantic FA Cup box before the underdogs were cruelly denied by the three-time semi-finalists.
After 15 minutes, Lang was adjudged to have pushed Tyrell Miller-Rodney in the area and Dickson fired home low into the bottom left corner.
The 33-year-old journeyman Dickson’s
HAMPTON & RICH
career highlight came when he made two appearances for Ghana a decade ago.
It seemed only a matter of time before Oldham would find an equaliser as Lang saw a 20-yarder hit the inside of the post.
At the start of the second half Oldham’s Jose Baxter was carried off on a stretcher but the visitors found a leveller in the 88th minute as Hunt converted from Dan Gardner’s cross on the break.
And in the fifth minute of stoppage time the League Two side left Hampton heartbroken as Lang fired in the winner.
FA CUP SECOND-ROUND DRAW
Guiseley v Fleetwood; Bury v Luton; Wrexham v Newport; Tranmere or Oxford City v Southport; Southend or Crawley v Barnsley; Shrewsbury or Salford v Scunthorpe; Solihull Moors v Blackpool; Chesterfield or Billericay v Grimsby; Peterborough v Aldershot or Bradford; Swindon v Woking; Maidstone v Oldham; Lincoln v Carlisle; Morecambe or Halifax v AFC Wimbledon; Plymouth v Oxford United or Forest Green Rovers; Barnet or Bristol Rovers v Stockport; Rochdale v Portsmouth; Walsall v Sunderland; Accrington v Ebbsfleet or Cheltenham; Mansfield or Charlton v Chorley or Doncaster Rovers; Sutton or Slough v Gillingham or Hartlepool. Ties to be played Nov 30 to Dec 2.