Brighton 2 Leeds 2: Poyet labels Warnock a hypocrite as winless streak goes on
By Laurie Whitwell
Gus Poyet branded Neil Warnock a hypocrite after the Leeds manager defended Luke Varney over accusations of diving.
The Brighton manager was furious with the forward’s fall for a penalty which helped the visitors salvage a barely deserved point.
Warnock said he felt Varney was pushed by Bruno Saltor for the kick, which El Hadji Diouf converted at the Amex Stadium.
But Poyet stormed: ‘What would happen if one of my players dived the way Mr Varney dived? What would Mr Warnock say? He would probably destroy him.
‘If he were my player he dived but because he’s his player he was pushed. We call it hypocrisy. So he’s in the list of hypocrites now.’
Poyet’s mood was no doubt darkened by the way his stylish side twice lost a lead to extend their winless run to seven games.
Craig Mackail-Smith scored twice but saw his late penalty saved by Paddy Kenny while Diouf, then Luciano Becchio, pegged the hosts back.
The draw left both teams on 20 points, two short of the final play-off spot, but Warnock was the manager who ended the night happier — especially with referee Lee Mason.
‘It was a super point,’ he said. ‘All credit to us, a lot of teams would have gone under. It was nice to show a bit of Yorkshire grit.
‘I don’t think he’s got much wrong tonight. Perry Mason, the old detective. Somebody said Luke Varney dived but he got pushed.’
Brighton went ahead on 16 minutes. Will Buckley ran on to a through-ball and went over Leeds captain Lee Peltier’s outstretched leg. Mason, who gave three penalties in the Capital One Cup at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, pointed to the spot again. By the end, Mason had awarded six penalties in three days.
Diouf equalised on 37 minutes after Varney’s tumble but Mackail-Smith restored the lead with a deflected finish following a Buckley cutback three minutes after the break.
Michael Brown’s 66th-minute shot from the edge of the area took a deflection off Becchio to level it again for Leeds.
A foul on Mackail-Smith gave the striker a chance to complete a hat-trick from the spot but Kenny grasped the kick brilliantly.
It was a first Friday fixture for Leeds fans since the shameful scenes at Hillsborough last month but this time the TV cameras could focus on a cracking game rather than a drunken thug.