West Ham 2 Leeds United 0: Marcelo Bielsa refuses to criticise officials after goal controversy in FA Cup loss - Yorkshire Post 9/1/22
EVEN Specsavers got involved.
By Lee Sobot
Everybody, it seemed, could see that Manuel Lanzini’s opener
for West Ham in Sunday’s FA Cup clash against Leeds United should have been
disallowed.
Everybody apart from referee Stuart Attwell and the game’s
VAR officials that is.
Yet Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa refused to complain about the
officiating or the result as an injury-hit Whites exited the FA Cup at the
third round stage for a fifth year in a row.
This, though, felt very different to the defeats at Newport
County and Crawley Town of recent years with Leeds very much the underdog this
time around, even with the Hammers and Whites both Premier League sides.
Irons boss David Moyes had four players out injured but
Bielsa had to deal with nine absentees as Patrick Bamford joined injured
contingent Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Rodrigo, Pascal Struijk, Jamie
Shackleton, Charlie Cresswell, Joe Gelhardt and Tyler Roberts on the sidelines.
Bielsa was set to welcome Bamford back from a hamstring
injury and start the Whites No 9 against the Hammers, only for the striker to
pick up an injury just below his hip in training.
Yet a Leeds side featuring three full debutants remained
competitive until the closing stages against the Premier League’s fifth-placed
team.
The Whites boss gave debuts to youngsters Leo Hjelde and
Lewis Bate plus a first start to Sam Greenwood and a strong Hammers side
featuring top scorer Michail Antonio and England international Declan Rice
began brightly, Jarrod Bowen firing wide and then seeing a firm shot cleared
off the line by Luke Ayling. More danger followed as Antonio’s whipped effort
from the edge of the box was deflected just over.
But just as Leeds began to threaten themselves, Bielsa’s
side fell behind in controversial circumstances on 34 minutes.
Nikola Vlasic turned Hjelde before making his way towards
goal but Hjelde produced a fine block, after which Whites ‘keeper Illan Meslier
looked set to gather the loose ball.
But Vlasic and then Bowen both got in Meslier’s way and made
slight touches before Lanzini thumped home a low finish through a crowded box.
Bowen had been in an offside position before blocking
Meslier’s path but referee Attwell allowed the goal to stand and VAR produced
its latest puzzler by giving the goal the green light.
The decision was met with widescale criticism and even
Specsavers chimed in, their official Twitter account responding to talkSPORT
asking if the goal should have been disallowed for offside with a reply of
“depends if you’re wearing a blindfold or not.”
But the incident proved key, West Ham only putting
themselves out of sight in the 93rd minute when Bowen finished off an Irons
counter attack from a Whites corner. Before then, both sides had squandered
good chances to bag the game’s second goal, Jack Harrison and Dan James both
missing the target from close range for Leeds for whom rested big guns
Raphinha, Stuart Dallas and Adam Forshaw all came off the bench. But Antonio
and Ryan Fredericks also went particularly close for the Hammers and Bielsa was
in no mood to moan, despite the injuries and VAR. “I think it corresponded that
they won the game, they created more danger than we did,” said United’s head
coach.
Asked if he felt West Ham’s opener was offside, the Whites
boss reasoned: “It’s a decision that I prefer to accept what the referees say,
not because I haven’t created an opinion. But I think it’s a collaboration that
us coaches and managers should make to accept the decisions of the referees,
even if they jeopardise us.”