Stoke City midfielder Ben Pearson has openly admitted that he had no objections to the penalty decision during their 1-0 victory over Leeds United on Wednesday.
Pearson made this revelation in an interview with Stoke’s official media channel after the match. He acknowledged that he had “clattered” Patrick Bamford, and as a result, referee Paul Tierney had no other option but to award a penalty.
With the score tied at 0-0, Patrick Bamford was put through on goal by a well-executed through ball from Georginio Rutter and managed to position his leg between the defender and the ball. Pearson then fouled Bamford, providing him with an opportunity to put Leeds in the lead with 15 minutes remaining. However, Bamford’s penalty attempt went over the crossbar.
Stoke soon capitalized on the situation, scoring a goal via a Pascal Struijk own goal just minutes later, compounding Leeds’ woes as they fell further behind the top two teams in the league.
In his post-game comments, Pearson expressed his acceptance of Tierney’s decision to award the penalty and criticized himself for making a “rash” challenge. He said, “No, I’ve just made a mistake probably five seconds before and sort of trying to get back, you don’t want them to score, so it’s a bit naive from me. Especially against an experienced player, he probably dangles his leg, and I clattered him. So I’ve got no complaints over the penalty; it was probably a bit impulsive on my part.”
Pearson’s willingness to acknowledge his error may have been somewhat easier in light of the events that transpired after the penalty incident. For Leeds, failing to secure points in situations like this when they are not performing well is a luxury they cannot afford. Unfortunately, Bamford’s penalty misses last season and this one have further exacerbated their woes.
In contrast to Leeds, when Leicester City has struggled in their performances, they have still managed to secure wins. Leeds must emulate this if they wish to maintain their hopes of automatic promotion, as time is running out.
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