'I'll tell you': Ian Wright says another Leeds player was seriously lucky not to get sent off against Arsenal

By John Verrall

Ian Wright has admitted to BBC Match of the Day 2 that Leeds United winger Raphinha was lucky not to get sent off against Arsenal yesterday. 

Raphinha was raging after Leeds defender Luke Ayling was handed a red card, but his verbal volley towards the referee overstepped the mark.

Raphinha was handed a yellow card for his show of disrespect towards the official, but Wright felt that he could have joined Ayling in taking an early shower. 

Wright said: “I tell you what with Raphinha for him to be going at the referee, he could have easily got sent off.”

And he point was backed up by Alan Shearer, who stated: “He was lucky!”

Frustration mounting

Raphinha’s reaction to Ayling’s dismissal may just sum up the frustration being felt by Leeds currently.

The Whites are in dire trouble now, although they did well to stay in the game against Arsenal in the end.

Leeds could have folded after being two goals and a man down before the half-hour mark at the Emirates Stadium, but their spirit to stage some sort of fightback in the second half does offer some encouragement.

Diego Llorente crept in at the back stick unmarked to give Leeds some hope of an unlikely comeback, but it wasn’t to be in the end. 

Leeds now have slipped into the relegation zone, with the pressure on them to pick up wins in their final three games.

That task has only become harder without Ayling available, but it really would have been a disaster if Raphinha also had to serve a suspension.