Referee Stuart Attwell is villain of the piece as 10-man Leeds United dig out a point on return to action

Attwell's inconsistent display angered home supporters at Elland Road and gave many reasons as to why we now need VAR at football matches.

Put simply, his performance was awful and he must have been relieved to get off the pitch at the end after getting the full treatment from thousands of people who paid big money to see a proper game of football.

The sending off of Luis Sinisterra for two “bookable" offences denied supporters entertainment and forced Leeds into digging in to earn a point. And, taking a leaf out of their opponents' book in the first half it was the Whites wasting time, giving Villa a taste of their own medicine in a thoroughly difficult game to watch.

Maybe Attwell, under the letter of the law, was right to show a red card to Sinisterra after he deflected a free-kick when not 10 yards away and was already on a booking – for a foul much less serious than others committed by both sides whose players got away scot free-card wise.

But here comes the problem, under the same letter of the law Villa could have had several players also sent-off, including Tyrone Mings who was warned several times for time wasting in the first half and committed a foul other players were being booked for and Leon Bailey who had a talking to from the referee for kicking the ball away then committed three further fouls before he was finally yellow carded and promptly taken off.

Warnings for one, bookings for others – and United could have had more booked had the official been more consistent. Double standards dogged Attwell's performance throughout and spoiled any flow the game could ever muster. This game needed a strong referee and it did not have it.

In the end Leeds did well to cling on for a point, although they rode their luck with the visitors hitting a number of shots that somehow flashed just past the post or in one case hit the woodwork.

Marsch was pleased with the spirit shown by his team, but also had had plenty to say on the time wasting he saw.

He said: "I almost feel we have to apologise to our fans.

"They didn't get an entertaining match, they got a match that was slowed down by an opponent from the first minute and they don't get to enjoy coming to Elland Road as much as they should.

"I will be speaking to someone from the league and (have) already spoken to the referees' committee, it's clearly a tactic. I feel bad for our fans, they have to watch that and they don't get an energetic game.

"It's respect for how we play against the ball, in the aggression we show and quality we have against the ball. Our fans like to see us where the team plays with aggression and they (Villa) are trying to flip the script.

"I was told, managers were told and by the way, they took up another hour and a half of our time this past week to remind us that they're going to do better with controlling the play, the run of playing matches.

"So I didn't create that dialogue, that's not my agenda, that's the league's agenda."

Aside from the time wasting, football did occasionally break out and Rodrigo looked lively up front early on for Leeds without the final ball being accurate enough.

The first good chance fell to Villa as Ollie Watkins latched onto a poor head out by the otherwise excellent Liam Cooper only to see his angled shot saved by Illan Meslier.

Phillippe Coutinho was next to bring a save out of Meslier before Rodrigo's shot flashed just wide as he took a clever pass by Marc Roca on the edge of the box.

United were denied a penalty when Ezri Konsa appeared to go through Rodrigo to head the ball just inside his area - but few teams get penalties for these kind of challenges. Just to add to the frustration a couple of minutes later a similar offence did bring Leeds a foul.

Villa survived a good spell from the hosts before finishing the half the stronger with Watkins' angled shot saved by Meslier and Bailey hitting a shot straight at the keeper.

The second half started with a bang as Sinisterra received his marching orders and within seconds Coutinho hit the post with an acrobatic volley then Watkins sent a header wide from the follow-up.

It seemed only a matter of time before the visitors would score as Jacob Ramsey, Emilliano Buendia, Coutinho again and Watkins all went close.

But United finally had their first shot on target in the 77th minute when substitute Patrick Bamford's angled shot was beaten away by keeper Emilliano Martinez.

And as the match went into the closing stages the belief came that they could take a point from the game.

Meslier did need to come out smartly to block another Watkins effort and John McGinn sent a 25-yard shot wide, but Leeds had the last half-chance as

Bamford set up an opportunity for fellow sub Mateusz Klich, but his shot was blocked.

Leeds United 0

Aston Villa 0

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Premier League

Attendance: 36,582

Leeds: Meslier; Kristensen (Ayling 68), Koch, Cooper, Struijk; Adams, Roca (Firpo 68); Sinisterra (sent-off 48), Aaronson (Klich 78), Harrison (Summerville 78); Rodrigo (Bamford 68).

Villa: Martinez; Young, Konsa, Mings, Augustinsson (Benarek 45+3); Luis; Ramsey (Ings 82), McGinn, Bailey (Buendia 64), Coutinho; Watkins.

Referee: Stuart Attwell