Sheffield United fans rip into ‘pathetic’ Femi Seriki incident vs Coventry: ‘Drives me absolutely crazy’
Coventry City produced a stunning second-half comeback to triumph 2-1 away at Sheffield United on Wednesday.
Frank Lampard’s side extended their lead at the top of the Championship to five points with their third successive victory in the league, as they roared back after falling behind early in the second half.
Harrison Burrows put the hosts in front just three minutes after the interval, before quickfire goals from Haji Wright and Jack Rudoni turned the game on its head by the 57th minute.
The Sky Blues watched their title rivals Middlesbrough drop points at home to Leicester on Tuesday night, but they made no mistake in their clash, much to the frustration of the Sheffield United fanbase.
Sheffield United fans rage over Femi Seriki penalty incident
Sheffield United dominated the first half at Bramall Lane, as they fired 15 shots at the visitors’ goal, while facing just four efforts at their own.
However, they were forced to settle for heading into the half-time interval on even terms, as they were unable to find the opener during the first period.
The Blades thought they had a penalty on the stroke of half-time, when Femi Seriki beat Coventry winger Ephron Mason-Clarke inside the visitors’ area, before being pulled back while attempting to deliver his cross.
United’s players made vociferous penalty appeals towards referee John Busby, but the official stood firm and instead awarded a goal-kick after the ball rolled out of play.
Sheffield United fans have torn into Seriki on X for his decision to go to ground inside the box, with one supporter suggesting that it was “embarrassing” and “pathetic” for him not to have tried to stay on his feet.
Another outlined that they were “annoyed” that the defender hit the deck, while it was also suggested that Seriki routinely goes to ground too easily during games.
One supporter even suggested that it drives them “absolutely crazy” when players try to buy penalties, rather than trying to finish off the attacking move.
- @JosiahZibster: “Drives me absolutely crazy. Happens so often nowadays. Get the wrong side of their man and still try to win cheap free kicks.”
- @cal__george: “Ref if that weren’t a pen, why wasn’t seriki booked for simulation? Make it up sometimes these officials.”
Sheffield United’s play-off hopes surely over
United have enjoyed something of a mini-resurgence in the Championship in recent weeks, as they had lost just one of their previous six league games prior to the Coventry reverse.
The second tier is as congested as ever, leading many sides to still harbour hope of a slim chance of reaching the end of season play-offs, and with it, the opportunity of promotion to the Premier League.
United’s hopes looked set to receive a major boost during the brief period where they held the lead on Wednesday, but the gap between them and sixth-placed Wrexham now stands at nine points.
That is surely enough to see their hopes of a return to the top-flight over for another year, especially considering that there are nine sides currently blocking their route into the top six.