Sometimes when you are chasing things at the end of the season luck either goes for or against you, on Sunday it went for Leicester and not for Saints.

There are those who thought that Saints allowed Leicester to dominate the game early doors on Sunday, I was not one of those, Leicester have build this season on defend defend defend and then break with pace using Vardy and Mahrez, in the first 20 minutes Saints didn't fall into this trap and kept behind the ball and looked to play Leicester at their own game, this was good tactics by Ronald Koeman.

It looked to have paid off when Sadio Mane was put through on goal rounded the keeper and then saw his shot blocked by the arm of Simpson, TV replays showed that the Leicester defender although he had his arm by his side deliberately moved his elbow to ensure that he stopped the ball, I can understand why neither the referee or his assistant failed to spot it, but it was a game changing and possibly title changing moment in that if the referee had given the spot kick then Simpson would have had to receive a red card.

But that was not the last controversial moment of the game, Saints protested that Morgan had fouled Clasie for the games only goal and then in the second half with Saints pushing hard for an equaliser Robert Huth handled in what again looked a stone wall penalty which again the officials failed to spot.

You cannot fault Saints overall performance, they did virtually everything right but didn't get the breaks, we should not forget this was playing the League leaders on their own turf, not only did we match them but we should have taken at least a point possibly all three, the Foxes will look back on this day at the end of the season and feel that this was the day their luck held and they kicked on.

Leicester have built their season on doing just what they did against Saints, keeping it tight at the back and then taking their chance on the break when they can, the difference this time was they needed a little more luck than usual to get the result.

Overall Saints although bitterly disappointed with the outcome of this game can be pleased that they competed and did not look that much less a side than the Foxes.

The team in the main did it's job and did it well although it needed to rely on a couple of World Class saves from Fraser Forster to keep them in the game.

This game could have gone either way, but sometimes you can't legislate for a referee's decision or two.

We still have a lot to play for and we need to pick ourselves up and go on another unbeaten run, we have to forget this game and concentrate on doing what we do well in the coming weeks, this season still has a long way to go yet.

Photo: Action Images

schatfield added 09:04 - Apr 4 I didn't mind losing this game to be honest (...waiting for those red arrows now) as I would love to see Leicester win the league. Regarding the game itself, yes we could have probably had a penalty, it was 50/50 really. Leicester were ok, that boy Kante stopped every Saints attack possible, what a player he is.
-8

saintsnutcase added 09:32 - Apr 4 The goal came from another right back error but otherwise we played very well. The problem was that we were not creative enough trying to penetrate a very crowded Leicester penalty box in the second half - the crossing was very poor, and Pelle won nothing all day.
6

SaintNick added 09:42 - Apr 4 The cross for the goal came from deep so I dont think the right back can be blamed, didnt Pelle have a header that went just over
3

birminghamsaint added 10:03 - Apr 4 Leicester are certainly more than a team with a great spirit and just enjoying a run of luck. Their pressing was excellent, their defence well organised and they showed they could pass it around confidently when they needed to.
1

SanMarco added 10:07 - Apr 4 A fair report on the whole although I agree with nutcase that we didn't show enough guile in the second half. The ref was never going to disallow the goal and was probably right + Huth wasn't a penalty. For me though the first incident has left me wondering again about the role of referees in affecting (and probably changing) results. Just like Friend in the home Liverpool match last season in the first 30 seconds, Oliver has chosen (and I use the word 'chosen' deliberately) not to give a penalty that he knew was a penalty. The photo at the top of the article shows quite clearly that there is enough distance between players for the pace of the ball and Simpson is looking at the ball. Video shows him DELIBERATELY nudging it for a corner with his arm. The ref saw that and half the stadium on the right side of the pitch saw it. The ref chose not to give it and that almost certainly changed the outcome of the match. I don't think refs are biased and most (aside from Lee Mason with his random decision making) get most things right and do the most difficult on the pitch pretty well. I don't know what the solution is but I would like to see those in charge at least addressing the issue. To be brutally honest I don't think it will affect Saints' season outcome that much and Leicester would probably win the title anyway - but those decisions aren't Michael Oliver's to make. Rant over - we got the tactics right in the first half and deserve credit for that, second half we got it wrong like just about every other side vs Leicester this season. They deserve the title, but yesterday was the day they got lucky.

4

halftimeorange added 10:11 - Apr 4 It's a shame that we are one creative player away from being as good as any of the other EPL sides. We aren't creative enough and we rely on individuals to make goals. Sadio might have done better and he should be told not to theatrically dive at every opportunity (lucky not to be booked yesterday). Tadic has the skill but rarely demonstrates it. Clasie can pass but what the hell was he doing marking Morgan. As for Pelle - I thought he did well despite a lack of service.

4

mgprobert added 10:38 - Apr 4 completely agree with your assessment - thats football, all three outcomes were possible and the final result came down to the bit of luck / bad luck that decides many results
2

DPeps added 11:31 - Apr 4 I think what people are annoyed about is the fact that 3 decisions went against us. As I said in my match report, neither handball was was clearly a penalty. The important thing is whether the hands are in an unnatural position: Simpson's hand/arm was by his side and seemed to be occupying a natural position for sliding across, Huth's arms were by his side in a natural position coupled with the fact that Austin was very close to him and leathered it at him. I'm not saying they definitely weren't penalties, but I don't think we should get too hung up on saying that they were. The push on Clasie was more obvious, however, and the goal probably shouldn't have stood. There were a lot of positives to take from the game. We matched the league leaders, and were actually better than them for most of the game. With more clinical finishing and better crossing and final ball we'd have won. As I've said before, VVD is proving himself to be a top, top defender. He is so good on and off the ball.

-3

SaintNick added 11:51 - Apr 4 If we had kept Alderweireld and had him along side VVD I think we would be nailed on in the top four
3

SanMarco added 11:52 - Apr 4 Doesn't matter where his arms were DPeps - it was deliberate handball, he intentionally guided it for a corner with his arm. He also had time to move that arm, in its 'natural' position, out of the way. Huth had no such chance. Once the penalty is given their goal scenario a few mins later doesn't happen because the ref's correct decision has changed the future so to speak. His incorrect decision led to all that actually followed. I sense we will not agree but an interesting question to those who are being very fair over the penalty: would you be as reasonable if Leicester were to be swapped for Man Utd in all particulars including league position and that had happened at Old Trafford????

4

SanMarco added 11:53 - Apr 4 Would we have signed VVD if we had kept Alderweireld though?
2

helpineedsomebody added 12:01 - Apr 4 as ron said itwas a penalty & the player should have been sent off it would have change the game completly if you watch simson in the 2ndhalf every time he put his arms behind his back
4

saintmark1976 added 12:06 - Apr 4 I hope that Leicester win the league for no other reason that it will prove that money does not buy everything for the big teams. My question however is are they a good team or is the standard in the Premiership just very poor this season? Yesterday for a prospective title winning team playing at home I thought they had little to offer other than two giant old school centre backs with very little on the ball skills and a centre forward who did nothing other than run on to hopeful balls lashed out of defence. Had Mane not made a complete hash when put clean through then we would not have needed R K to question the officials abilities after the game. Having said that the standard of refereeing generally this season continues to go from bad to worse in my opinion. It is not just the Saints. Look at the winning goal for Norwich on Saturday where the ref missed a clear hand ball immediately prior to their player scoring. As for Lee Mason you would be worried if he was in control of an under eleven parks game on a Sunday morning. He is not biased, just simply not up to it.

4

SaintBrock added 12:34 - Apr 4 I suppose one lingering question this morning is whether Koeman will get fined for his unusually candid remarks about the referee's decisions yesterday. Of all people, he will know what is deliberate and what is not and frankly having reviewed both incidents ad nauseum, I completely agree with him. You cannot but wonder if everyone including refs are so hyped up about dear little Leicester winning the league against all the odds that no one dear lift a finger against them in case they are blamed for it not happening. In my opinion, Leicester do not deserve to win the league playing as they do despite all the hype that are relatively dull and uninspiring side that rely on bully-boy defending and long hopeful balls upfield. In the sense that it worked OK once for Wimbledon, everyone seems to think that it's OK now. If that's football then stuff it. The league should be won and deserves to be won by a team that plays truly excellent football that can threaten the continent's power houses so not only am I rooting for Spurs to be Champions but am convinced they will win and they will only get better if that loathsome manager of theirs stays with them.

1

Jesus_02 added 13:04 - Apr 4 I think fare result would have been 0-0. While both incidents were penalties I don't think that any ref would have been the one to derail Leicesters season for anything that was remotely debatable. However Wes Morgan did foul Classie and he even admitted as much after the match. Apart from that I though the Ref did quite well for once , he allowed the game to flow and played advantage well. I also think Saints played well and were unfortunate not to get an odd bounce (the ball seemed magnetically attracted to Leicester defenders at time s) The good news is that other results kind of went our way and we still have 18 points to play for and an almost completely fit squad

2

lotus added 13:07 - Apr 4 it was one of the most disgraceful refereeing displays .british referrers make an errors every week and sometimes critical.the saints lacked creativity to make dividends of their control but i was not surprised by the crowded foxes praying on every ball and sending it far far as possible.a bit of a surprise was how they chose to pass the time 15 MIN BEFORE THE END. if only it was possible to cancel games which referees mistakes causes a big damage to teams in contention to a spot in erope or in bottom.

2

bstokesaint added 13:12 - Apr 4 I don't believe that referees are intentionally biased against us. I mean they have nothing to gain from it. However, as Ronald correctly states we don't get dubious decisions in our favour. A big team yesterday would probably have gotten one or two of those big three decisions. Yesterday, Leicester were that "big" team because to make a big decision against them in that big party atmosphere would have taken serious ******. Not something Oliver is renowned for. I would suggest we don't get the decisions because referees don’t feel the pressure to give them to us, with generally little consequence if they don’t. It’s not like we hold major sway with the powers in football. Like I say I think it’s a sub-conscious thing. I’d imagine a DVD of “big decisions” not given for us for this season would be fairly damning. With regards to Leicester good luck to them. I believe they totally deserve the title. They play as a team with high energy and everyone could learn something from them.

3

DPeps added 13:22 - Apr 4 SanMarco - we're not going to agree on this, but I respect your view. Deliberately moving his arm so that the ball goes out for a corner is quite an elborate act of intention given that Simpson had a few milliseconds to decide! Therein lies the problem with the intention/non-intention debate. At any rate, I'm pretty sure that the ball would've hit some other part of his body had it not hit his arm, so all things considered there's enough there to not give the penalty. It doesn't really matter if it's Leicester or Man Utd to me. The more important question is would you agree it was a penalty if Fonte had done the same thing? I'd be annoyed if such a decision had been given against us, so in the cold light of day I have to say that it wasn't a penalty. We shouldn't be having this debate anyway, as Mane had all the rest of the goal to aim at!

0

lotus added 13:28 - Apr 4 Clasie marking Morgan.the wild horse??this alone tells the story of the goalhigh balls to the crowded foxes box was bad as well
0

saintsnutcase added 13:37 - Apr 4 Nick - have another look at the move that led to the goal on a replay. Cedric clearly ran out of position which left their player able to cross without any pressure. Just saying...
1

SanMarco added 14:24 - Apr 4 Yes DPeps, I of course respect your opinion too. I honestly believed I am relatively objective on pen decisions for and against us and you obviously are too. Unlike some I don't actually believe we have been particularly hard done by overall. The Stoke and yesterday's are balanced out by the two Yoshi ones v West Ham and Swansea and although we had the two Liverpool ones last season we were also very lucky on several occasions (Targett-Fabregas springs to mind). It is also of course perfectly possible that we'd have missed the pen and the 10 men then beat us 2-0 !!

-3

BoondockSaint added 14:43 - Apr 4 Page keeps locking up, can't do full comment, so in short: Happy April Fool's MoPo and Spuds!!!
0

Jesus_02 added 15:25 - Apr 4 Mane will take it as a big miss but if you watch the replays I dont think he even saw the player coming in to cover the keeper. If he had he could have probably beat him as well! I understand that people are distancing themselves from Mane because everyone seems so sure that he will leave, but regardless I think he is a great player and we are lucky to have him. For me they where both pens that the ref was never going to give. The Huth one especially he has both his hands stretched out like a goal keeper!

4

TeamCortese added 15:52 - Apr 4 For me the outcome of the match was simply determined by three people...Mane, Kante and the referee. If Kante wasn't on the pitch we probably would have scored and possibly won the match. The guy was everywhere. He protected the defence, started moves for the attack and won most of the midfield battles. And to think Leicester signed him for 8 Millions Euros--an absolute steal! He made our midfield look ordinary. Mane's finishing is too erratic. For a professional footballer playing as an attacker in the EPL his finishing yesterday was unforgivable and should be a cause of concern for Roko's technical staff. Let's not be soft about he missed a SITTER! I can assure you any striker who plays for a Top 6 team would not have missed that. You can put in it as much effort as you like but fundamentally football is about scoring goals. If you don't score you don't win. Mane isn't a natural finisher. This is not the first time he squandered a crucial opportunity. As someone who does shooting practice everyday you have to question what is happening mentally when he's faced with goalscoring opportunities. The strange thing is he finished well against Liverpool, QPR and Chelsea. He should be ashamed. It's simply perplexing. Lastly, the referee was atrocious and I can't for the life of me not understand why the FA don't conduct disciplinary or appraisals on referee performance. He practically won Leicester the game. Regardless we put in a good shift but ultimately failed to win a must win match for a top 6 finish. Our season is practically over now but let's hope we can enough wins to match last year. It'll be interesting to see whether Koeman stays. That will be a big indicator of the board's ambitions for the club and in particular how much investment they'll put into the side for new signings.

1

Jesus_02 added 16:45 - Apr 4 #TeamCoertese If Mane finished like he did against Liverpool every match he would be worth about £40-50m in today's market we bought him for £11m. He is only 23! Personally I m with Mick Channon, I don't think we need to invest heavily in the side we just need to keep the team together and that includes Mane
4

Blogs 31 bloggers

Middlesbrough Polls