Steve Cooper: I’d get fined if I said how I felt about referee after Leicester defeat
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Rather than the two moments of quality which ultimately secured Aston Villa’s victory, Leicester City manager Steve Cooper placed the blame for his team’s downfall on referee David Coote.
Twice the evergreen Jamie Vardy thought he had equalised for the hosts, who remain without a Premier League win since returning to the top flight. But on both occasions the Nottinghamshire official intervened, first to rule out what would have been the 37-year-old’s second goal of the season after appearing to inadvertently divert Harry Winks’ pass into his path. Then, deep into added time after Facundo Buonanotte had responded to earlier efforts from Amadou Onana and Villa substitute Jhon Duran, Vardy was adjudged to have strayed offside before tumbling under Ezri Konsa’s challenge.
“I’ve just accepted that refereeing is where it is,” Cooper said, trying to keep a lid on his anger. “You can say things, get jumped on and get fined and go in front of panels, I’m not doing that.
“Because of where refereeing is, you just keep your fingers crossed that it’s going to go for you. You see clearly that it’s behind the curve. The Premier League is the best domestic competition there is. But the refereeing is trying to catch up with that.”
“We’re frustrated that we’ve not at least drawn,” continued Cooper. “Villa looked like a counter attacking team, which isn’t what they are, even though they’ve the athleticism to do it.”
Villa showcase substance as well as style
Only Manchester City have accumulated more league points on the road than Villa since Unai Emery’s appointment two years ago. Against spirited opposition, they were required to showcase the substance required to build such a track record. But they boast style too, with Youri Tielemans’ expertly worked free-kick allowing Onana to open the scoring before Duran’s intelligent movement stretched Villa’s lead.
“Jhon, most important is his capacity to focus and be consistent,” said Emery, responding to the speculation surrounding the Colombian’s future ahead of Friday’s transfer deadline. “I didn’t need to speak with him about the future, because I could see how he was.”
Following an early opening for Ollie Watkins, which saw Mads Hermansen save at his feet, the meeting between two clubs with markedly different aspirations threatened to become an arm-wrestle. But Morgan Rogers had no interest in simply probing, producing a perfectly weighted pass to send Watkins through for a second time before Hermansen intervened again.
Another piece of inspiration, this time from former City midfielder Tielemans, rendered the Dane powerless to prevent Villa from taking the lead. Taking responsibility for a set-piece awarded just outside the area, Tielemans resisted the temptation to cross and slipped the ball to Jacob Ramsey, on for the injured Leon Bailey, instead. His centre was converted by Onana.
‘We’ll be more than alright’
“I won’t talk about isolated decisions,” Cooper complained, disagreeing with Coote’s interpretation of Oliver Skipp’s tackle on Watkins. “What I will talk about is the meetings you have to go to, the visits you receive, the clear message is that the threshold of this beautiful, competitive and intensive English game is going to be raised. Then we get that.”
City roused themselves, with Caleb Okoli testing Emiliano Martinez’s reactions. But only two minutes after being introduced, Duran doubled Villa’s advantage; peeling away from his marker to head home Lucas Digne’s cross.
City’s persistence was rewarded when another substitute, Buonanotte, pounced. Then, cue the chaos, with Cooper and his players furiously protesting when Coote ignored Vardy’s appeals for a spot-kick.
“It’s been a tough start in terms of points,” Cooper said. “But there’s been enough in the games, with us transitioning, that we’ll be more than alright.”
