Bruno Lage is seething after a controversial red card for Raul Jimenez cost Wolverhampton Wanderers three points against Leeds United.
Bruno Lage said: “We were a much better team than Leeds 11 against 11. We still had a chance to score 10 against 11. But the decision of the referee changed the game. Guys, you need to write that, that decision changed the game.”
Friend adjudged Jimenez – who had already been shown a yellow card for a first half foul on Pascal Struijk – to have initiated the contact with Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier. But replays showed the striker innocently contesting a 50/50 challenge and, if anything, coming off worse than Meslier.
Bruno Lage added: “When you start (with a question) like that, it’s because something has gone wrong in that situation. Everyone can make bad decisions, sometimes we can make bad decisions. But when you see the image on TV and you see it is a bad decision – and I had that feeling it was a big body contact, both players tried to win the ball – and I know the referee had watched the image, and he continued with the same opinion. The bad decision is the referee had already watched it on TV, and he continued with the same opinion.”