The Championship match on Tuesday night had a contentious conclusion.
Midweek saw a number of exciting Championship matches, including Sunderland vs. Leicester City.
There was a lot on the line for both the Black Cats and the Foxes on Tuesday night.
For instance, Sunderland is aiming for a play-off berth at the end of the season, but Leicester City is still leading the Championship after winning the league and receiving promotion.
The game ended in a 1-0 away win for the Foxes, who were relieved to return home after Jamie Vardy’s goal in the 13th minute moved Leicester three points clear of the Premier League.
Commenting on the contentious Sunderland vs. Leicester City match, Mike Dodds
Towards the end of the game, there was some controversy surrounding it as Sunderland might have believed they were incorrectly on the receiving end of a refereeing call.
Dan Ballard was played through and one-on-one with the Leicester City goalie deep into injury time at the end of the game, but Foxes midfielder Hamza Choudhury challenged him.
Upon reviewing the replays, Choudhury looks to have a hand on Ballard’s shoulder and gets nowhere near the ball, but the referee did not blow his whistle, hence this was ruled a valid challenge.
Naturally, Dodds, the manager of Sunderland, was questioned about this occurrence at length.
“I haven’t seen it back.” Dodds clarified to Sunderland Echo reporter James Copley.
“Dan insists that this is a punishment.
“My thought is why would he go down?”
It’s interesting to note that Dodds’ opponent, Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca, insisted he didn’t witness the incident and refused to declare it wasn’t a penalty.
Additionally, Maresca stated to Sunderland Echo reporter James Copley, “I didn’t see it (the penalty shout on Ballard).”
“I was just in the game and I was not worried.”
Sunderland’s league standing
As Mike Dodds made plain, Sunderland can feel unfairly treated, but they are unable to alter the outcome of the tie.
The Black Cats could go much lower after Wednesday night’s Championship games, since they have already lost five straight league games. since of Wednesday afternoon, they are ranked 10th in the division.
The difference between Sunderland and the top six now stands at 10 points as a result of the collapse to 10th place, with Hull City currently holding sixth place.
Regretfully, Sunderland’s schedule doesn’t get any easier anytime soon.
On Saturday afternoon, the Black Cats will travel to Southampton for their next Championship match.