Sheffield United vs Coventry ref watch: Three decisions John Busby got wrong including Japhet Tanganga clash
Sheffield United squandered a lead in the second half as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Coventry City on Wednesday night.
The Sky Blues extended their lead at the top of the Championship to five points, but not before they were dealt a major scare by Chris Wilder’s side.
Harrison Burrows netted for United in the victory over Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, and he struck the opener on 48 minutes to put the hosts ahead.
However, their joy was short-lived, as goals from Haji Wright and Jack Rudoni turned the deficit around within nine minutes.
It was a game packed full of action in South Yorkshire, and there were plenty of incidents for referee John Busby to deal with.
With that in mind, Football Insider picks out three errors that the man in the middle made during the 90 minutes, as the two sides played out an entertaining encounter.
John Busby wrong to issue cards for Japhet Tanganga incident
The first flashpoint of an eventful evening at Bramall Lane came in just the ninth minute, when Japhet Tanganga and Ephron Mason-Clarke tangled after a set-piece for the hosts.
The pair were locked together when the ball was delivered into the box, and eventually spilled over into a confrontation, with both parties shouting in each other’s faces.
Players from both sides then piled in and began pushing each other, with Busby eventually issuing yellow cards to both Tanganga and Mason-Clarke after calming the incident down.
However, in reality the official had little need to caution both players so early into the game, especially for an incident which didn’t really amount to anything.
Sheffield United unlucky with penalty appeal
Sheffield United saw appeals for a penalty waved away at a crucial stage of the game, as Femi Seriki went to ground inside the box right on the stroke of half-time.
The Blades defender twisted Mason-Clarke inside out on the right flank, before the Coventry winger felled him by pulling on his arm as he looked to deliver the cross.
His challenge sparked strong appeals from the home players and fans inside Bramall Lane, but Busby was unmoved, and ultimately awarded a goal kick after the ball ran out of play.
It would have been something of a soft penalty, but it was an incident that is regularly given up and down the Football League each week, and for that, United can count themselves a little unlucky.
Chris Wilder stayed on the pitch after the half-time whistle to remonstrate with Busby over his view of the challenge, but that did little to change the decision.
Andre Brooks booking very harsh
Andre Brooks was another man who entered the referee’s book, when he was penalised for a foul in the middle of the Coventry half in the 82nd minute.
The winger stretched as he made the challenge, and he was prompted shown a yellow by Busby after arriving late into his tackle.
However, it was not a malicious tackle by any means, and also didn’t prevent the visitors from mounting a counter-attack.
It could certainly have been considered to be a harsh booking as a result, not least because it was Brooks’ first foul of the entire evening.