Warnock - Reading players got Thompson sent off

Leeds United manager Neil Warnock was less than impressed by the antics of the Reading players and he felt it was their demonstrations that forced Zac Thompson`s sending off.

Thompson was shown a straight red card after just twelve minutes for a lunging tackle on Reading winger Jobi McAnuff and Warnock felt the Reading players intimidated referee Darren Drysdale into showing a red card.

Speaking on Yorkshire Radio, Warnock said, "I thought the referee allowed their players to intimidate him. On four or five occasions he allowed their players to surround him and I don`t think it was a sending off. I think he was sent off because of Brown`s challenge and then being surrounded by some of their players."

The game saw a number of crunching tackles from the Leeds midfield with Michael Brown and Danny Pugh also at the centre of some narrow escapes.

Brown twice timed his tackles to perfection when he crunched into Mikele Leigertwood and Jem Karacan, the latter hobbling out of the action when another referee could have quite easily have shown them a red.

Pugh could have quite easily have seen red for his tackle on Karacan after catching the Reading midfielder with his follow through and Warnock admitted he thought his challenge was worse than the one by Thompson. "I thought Pugh`s challenge was worse than Thompson`s if I am being honest," Added Warnock.

The challenge by Pugh saw Karacan left with a huge tear at the bottom of his sock.




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