Micah Richards says Newcastle should have been given penalty against Leeds United

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Micah Richards has told Wednesday night’s Match of the Day that he believes Newcastle United should have been awarded a penalty against Leeds United at Elland Road – as Liam Cooper escaped punishment for a tackle on Callum Wilson.

A topsy-turvy match, the scoreline read 2-2 when Wilson went down under the challenge of Cooper. Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo’s Leeds goals had been cancelled out by Jeff Hendrick and Ciaran Clark – but referee Simon Hooper ignored calls.

VAR looked at the incident and given there was no clear and obvious error, the referee’s decision stood. But replays – with slow motion – have since suggested that perhaps Cooper did foul Wilson and that Leeds got away with one.

The Whites went on to win 5-2 thanks to goals from Stuart Dallas, Gjanni Alioski and Jack Harrison – but the incident came at a crucial time. Richards is unsure if Cooper got the ball, but has sided with Steve Bruce – stating Newcastle deserved a penalty.

“In the modern game, that is a penalty. I have to agree with Bruce on that. But from certain angles it looks like he has got the ball. It does look like a foul,” Richards told Match of the Day, when asked about a potential penalty.

TBR’s view – Richards probably right, but Leeds deserved win

The Whites dominated from start to finish, much like many of their other Premier League matches this season. The only difference on Wednesday evening is that Leeds put away their chances, rather than constantly going close.

Even Bruce himself admitted that while he feels it was a penalty, Newcastle might not have the match. Leeds deserved all three after coming close to a win against Arsenal. Set-pieces are still to be worked on, but a good and deserved win for Leeds.