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Huddersfield Forward Laurente Depoitre Blasts Referee Michael Oliver After Terrier's Defeat

Author:
90 Min
Publish date:
Dec 2, 2018

Huddersfield Town striker Laurent Depoitre has blamed referee Michael Oliver for his side's 2-1 defeat against Brighton on Saturday.

The Terriers saw striker Steve Mounie sent off in the first half against the Seagulls when leading 1-0, a decision that drastically altered the shape of the game.

Brighton took advantage of the dismissal as goals from Shane Duffy and Florin Andone secured their second away win of the season.

huddersfield-town-v-brighton-hove-albion-premier-league-5c040f029c3396ce1e000001.jpg — William Early/GettyImages

Mounie's shin-high tackle on Yves Bissouma was deemed to be worthy of a red card by Oliver, a decision that has left Depoitre questioning the consistency of the officials in the Premier League.

Talking to BT Sport, the Belgian forward launched a scathing attack, admitting: "I don't like to speak about the referees, but I think he played a big role in this defeat.

"After one minute it was already 1-0 and we felt we were controlling the game.

"They were not very dangerous and then there were a few decisions from the referee that we don't really understand."

huddersfield-town-v-brighton-hove-albion-premier-league-5c040f5e7417a47e26000001.jpg — Gareth Copley/GettyImages

Before the sending off, Huddersfield had a claim for a penalty turned down for what they thought was a foul on midfielder Alex Pritchard, whilst Brighton defender Leon Balogun only saw yellow for a tackle on Erik Durm.

Asked about Oliver's decision not to give the Terriers a spot-kick, Depoitre said: "I think it was a clear penalty on Pritchard. It could have been 2-0 and the game would have been completely different. If it's 2-0 I don't think we would lose this game."

Referring to the decision to send Mounie off and the simalirity of the challenge to Balogun's foul, Depoitre added: "I have to watch it again. But I think if it's a red card, it's a red card for them as well, so that's the problem."