Pep left smartin’ over ref Martin
PEP CLOTET is adamant Birmingham were denied TWO penalties in their draw with promotion contenders Brentford.
The Blues had a strong appeal for a spot-kick late on when Ethan Pinnock handled in his own box.
And Clotet thinks his team deserved a penalty when Pinnock also caught Scott Hogan.
Referee Steve Martin waved away both claims and in the end Blues had to settle for a point – courtesy of Lukas Jutkiewicz – which was cancelled out by a header from Pinnock.
“The rule is very simple,” said boss Clotet.
“He touched the ball with the hand, they win the control of the ball thanks to that action we have had penalties against us this season for handball that are not even close to what that was.
“Then, for me, Scott tries to shoot, he gets a clear contact on the ankle, I could hear the contact from the bench.
“But at the end of the day I respect the referee’s decision.”
Jude Bellingham had almost given the Blues the lead inside the opening few minutes but saw his 20-yard strike bounce off the post.
Jutkiewicz tapped Birmingham in front after getting a touch to a Gary Gardner cross after just 13 minutes.
But Pinnock headed in his first Brentford goal from a deep corner four minutes later.
Bees boss Thomas Frank said: “It’s been a decent start to February. Eight points in four games isn’t bad.”
NOTHING, it seems, can stop Liverpool’s relentless assault on the Premier League.
A swirling wind and the massed ranks of relegation-threatened opponents resolutely blocked the Reds’ path at Carrow Road.
But just when the finishing line was moving on to the horizon and a frustrating evening in Norfolk beckoned – up stepped Jurgen Klopp’s man-for-allseasons, Sadio Mane.
The title-winners elect had probed and pressed, harried and chased like their lives depended upon it but they met with dogged resistance until the 78thminute when the bottom-placed team were broken.
And it was the African, coming off the bench on the hour, who finally did the trick.
Jordan Henderson’s long pass spotted the Senegal striker moving in from the left and the ball just eluded Christoph Zimmermann.
The Reds’ forward brought it down in one movement and with his second touch lashed it in at the near post to ensure Klopp’s men ended the day a staggering 25 points clear at the top of the table.
Norwich’s players surrounded referee Stuart Attwell, convinced that the forward’s outstretched hand had pushed Zimmermann as he challenged for the ball. VAR studied the incident but saw nothing wrong and yet another hurdle was overcome.
Norwich midfielder Todd Cantwell said: “It’s frightening to think about how he took that ball down and smashed it in.
“It’s those snippets of quality in this league, it’s very unforgiving. It looked like a chance of a foul but they’ve obviously looked at it and decided it wasn’t enough.
“They are a fantastic team. Everyone knows that going into the game.
“They are leading the pack and deservedly so. They are so good in so many topics of the game. It is hard to compete against them at times really.”
But this was far from the gimme that the league placings had suggested at the outset. The hosts’ gameplan almost paid off.
In the first half a familiar pattern developed. Liverpool pressed but would find a yellow shirt blocking their path. In the opening half it didn’t much matter which way they turned, the outcome was the same. Their efforts came to nothing. At times, Norwich’s centre-halves were camped so deep they