Crystal Palace 0-0 Leeds: Selhurst Park stalemate overshadowed by another refereeing howler — Mail Online 15/3/26

Crystal Palace 0-0 Leeds: Selhurst Park stalemate overshadowed by another refereeing howler as official appears to FORGET star was already on a yellow card

By JAMES SHARPE

You know you’re having a tough afternoon as a referee when you send off a player on the away team and the home fans still sing ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ and then boo you down the tunnel.

When Tom Bramall flicked his yellow card towards Gudmundsson for a foul on Ismaila Sarr, the red card didn’t immediately follow. It appeared as though he’d forgotten the left-back had already been booked. It was not until he was surrounded by Palace players and a few glances towards the fourth official that the red card came out.

Only moments earlier, he’d penalised Jaka Bijol, who was already on a yellow, for stopping a promising attack but didn’t send him off and later kept his red card in his pocket again when Palace winger Brennan Johnson flew into a late tackle, his fourth foul of the match, but avoided a similar fate to Gudmundsson.

When Gudmundsson did receive his marching orders, Palace centre-back Jaydee Canvot punched the air with both fists in furious celebration. In fairness, it was about the only thing all afternoon worth shouting about.

An age-old question for Leeds United: a point gained or two points dropped? Well, it depends on when you asked.

Was it when Dominic Calvert-Lewin stood over his penalty just before half-time or, after he’d dragged it wide of the post, was it when Gabriel Gudmundsson was sent off just a few minutes later?

On cold reflection, this dull, dismal draw was not enough to drag Daniel Farke’s side away from danger and leave West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham to fight it out among themselves yet in becoming the first side on record to lose a man in the first half yet not face a shot on target, they showed they have fight for this scrap.

‘This was another day that has proved why I trust boys with my life,’ said Farke. ‘I can always count on them. We are not flawless or perfect but it is proof when this club is united we can overcome all adversities. It is a priceless point. It is a day where heroes are born.’

The boos that rang out at full-time told you that Crystal Palace’s usual impotence played its own part in proceedings. Another 0-0 draw, after AEK Larnaca in the Conference League in midweek, this time against 10 men. They created so little. That is now just 14 goals in 15 home league matches for Palace.

When Jefferson Lerma (SP) thought he’d put the hosts in front with his close-range header, the fact it was ruled out because the corner taker was stood offside when he received the ball back to him from the short routine encapsulated the doziness of their attack.

It told you everything, too, about the quality on show that the 190 passes completed in the first half was the fewest on record since a game in 2019 between Burnley and Cardiff where the managers were Sean Dyche and Neil Warnock.

‘We are not the biggest goal machine in the Premier League, we know this,’ said a prickly Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who bristled with a number of journalists in his post-match press conference.

‘We know we have some areas to improve but I don’t like it if everyone is so critical. It seems like Crystal Palace was always playing for the Premier League title and always playing great football and now aren’t doing it anymore and that’s completely unfair.

‘I’m sitting here because Crystal Palace was playing against getting relegated and Roy Hodgson was sitting here because Crystal Palace was playing against getting relegated.’

Before kick-off, as Jean-Philippe Mateta made his way along the touchline from the tunnel to his seat on the bench, he raised a hand to the fans already in their seats who responded with a hefty round of applause.

A far more mixed reception greeted his arrival on to the pitch on the hour, as loud boos erupted from a hefty group of supporters. They were bigger, too, than the ones that met his arrival in the Conference League clash in midweek.

Mateta is just returning from injury and making his first appearances since his move to AC Milan fell through on deadline day and still looked way off the pace.

There’s no better way to get back in fans’ good books than getting on the scoresheet but he barely had a sniff other than a half-chance that Leeds defender Joe Rodon snuffed out before Mateta could make proper contact.