Premier League panel admit VAR error after controversial Sunderland moment against Leeds United
Premier League review panel say Leeds United should have been awarded an early penalty against Sunderland
A Premier League review panel has concluded that Sunderland were fortunate not to concede an early penalty during their 1-0 win against Leeds United earlier this month.
The incident occurred during the first half of the contest at Elland Road on March 3, when the score was still goalless. Leeds had been awarded a corner in the 16th minute and, as the delivery came into the penalty area, Sunderland defender Luke O’Nien was involved in a physical tussle with Pascal Struijk.
Following a post-match review, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel ruled that referee Stuart Attwell should have awarded a penalty to Leeds and that VAR official Paul Tierney should have intervened. According to the panel’s findings, O’Nien prevented the Leeds defender from attacking the ball.
The report stated that O’Nien “was not looking at the ball” and had placed his arms around Struijk in a manner that stopped the Leeds player from moving freely towards goal. The panel unanimously agreed that the incident should have resulted in a spot-kick for the home side.
Leeds head coach Daniel Farke had been outspoken about the decision immediately after the match. “It’s not even a question,” Farke said at the time. “What was VAR doing? It’s tough to understand how this is not checked. If the referee watched it back, he would say all day long it’s a penalty. It’s more for VAR; it’s difficult for the referee to see.”
Despite the early controversy, Sunderland ultimately secured the victory thanks to a penalty in the 70th minute. Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, with the decision confirmed following a VAR review. The KMI panel supported that call, voting 5-0 in favour of the intervention. The report concluded that Ampadu had made a secondary movement with his arm, which diverted the ball away, making the penalty award correct.
Sunderland early team news ahead of Newcastle United clash
Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has admitted his squad are “struggling” with injuries ahead of the trip to St James’ Park. The Black Cats were beaten 1-0 by Brighton at the Stadium of Light last weekend, with former Newcastle winger Yankuba Minteh scoring the only goal of the game.
After the match, Le Bris outlined the challenges his squad are currently facing. “It wasn't possible [to bring Wilson Isidor on] because he got an injury,” he said. “We were really on the edge. We were cautious. We could have pushed him, but it was risky. Rather than taking risks, it was the case for Brian [Brobbey] as well.
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“Brian can go all the way, but because we pushed until the end rather than keeping 65-70 minutes, because it was the load expected. At the minute, we are struggling a bit. We are just on the edge, but we try our best to keep the team safe.”
Several players are now racing to be fit for the derby. Robin Roefs and Nordi Mukiele both missed the defeat to Brighton but could yet return, while Reinildo Mandava is expected to train again this week. Le Bris also offered an update on other injured players.
“Dan (Ballard) had discomfort with his hamstring, so we hope it isn't too serious,” he said. “We expect Enzo [Le Fee] to be ready for Newcastle; it might be possible. For Nilson [Angulo], we'll have to wait at least four to six weeks.
“Nordi [Mukiele] is getting better, we'll see for next week. It's always the same: you can take the risk, he might play against Newcastle, but if we lose him for eight weeks after, it doesn't make sense. We are always on the edge, so we'll try to manage the situation properly.”