Fans baffled at yellow card for Ipswich’s Harry Clarke after winning the ball with sliding tackle

Fans and commentators are baffled at yellow card given for Ipswich’s Harry Clarke after winning the ball with a sliding tackle.

It came on 69 minutes, with referee Josh Smith reaching for his yellow card for the Ipswich right-back, who won the ball with a sliding challenge but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall flies to ground.

The Sky Sports commentator could be heard saying: “Old fashioned one, would have been applauded back in the day, not even a foul.”

Fair challenge 👊 #itfc pic.twitter.com/pP5JyRYlKV

— Harps ITFC (@harps2000) January 22, 2024

This was given as a yellow card… Game is absolutely gone🤢pic.twitter.com/St920dZ3Xu

— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) January 23, 2024

Meanwhile, Matt Piper (Former Foxes winger on BBC Radio Leicester): “It looked like he left the floor, a dangerous tackle.

“On initial thoughts, I thought that was a red, but seeing that again I think a yellow is sufficient. He got the ball.”

Andrew Aloia (BBC Sport at King Power Stadium): “That challenge – when seen again on replays – is no doubt reckless, but the caution does seem a fair call.

“Foxes fans don’t have the benefit of television replays, and they make their thoughts clear with loud boos and jeers when the card is brandished by referee Josh Smith.

“The game really has become tense in this second half.”

The game between Leicester City and Ipswich Town saw Leif Davis’ own goal put the Foxes in front, but Jeremy Sarmiento struck a late leveller for the Tractor Boys for it to finish 1-1.

It means that Leicester stay seven points clear at the top of the Championship table, but only seven points clear of Ipswich, who climb back above Southampton into second.

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna said post-match, per Ipswich Star: “I think the second half was much more like ourselves and we can take a lot of confidence and a lot of lessons from that,” said McKenna.

“I thought on the balance of the second half we probably deserved to get something from the game.

“The first half was difficult. I don’t think we managed to impose ourselves on the game as we would like to. We didn’t play with conviction on or off the ball. But it’s a big step up in terms of the level of the opponent, there’s no doubt about it, and it felt like that in the first half. We’ve come a long way in a short space of time.

“But I really liked the second half. There was a real conviction in the dressing room at half-time that we were going to do our utmost to play in our identity and that if we were going to lose we were going to do it in our style.

“Of course there was a chance they get the second goal when the game opens up, but I also thought we had enough chances and good situations to deserve something from the game.”

McKenna said on a stat, that 13 of Ipswich’s goals this season have been scored by substitutes: “It’s been a common theme since I’ve been here. I think the forward players in our team know they’re very rarely going to play 90 minutes. We play with an an intensity that means it’s hard to do that. Everyone in the squad knows, especially in those forward areas, that if you don’t start there’s a very good chance you’re going to come on in the decisive part of the game and have a big impact. That was the case for us last season as well. It was certainly again the case tonight.

“We knew it would take a big physical effort tonight. We started with as much physicality in the team as we could and we knew that if we could stay in the game we would have really good impetus that could come off the bench and really take the game to the opposition. That’s how it transpired.”

He told TownTV: “I was really pleased with the second half and I think we deserved to get something, given the chances we had.

“The first half was a learning curve for us. I don’t think we hit the level we wanted and lacked conviction both on and off the ball, against a really good side. That’s understandable in some ways because it’s still a really big step for us to come and play here, both individually and as a team, and it looked that way in the first half.

“But we spoke at half-time and came out with a completely different energy, looking to impose ourselves on the opposition. That exposes you with the space we can leave but we were able to create some very good chances and were able to take one. 

“If we were going to lose the game, it wasn’t going to be like the first-half was, lacking the intensity, aggression and bravery we wanted but there was a determination to come out, be ourselves and give it everything.” 

Reflecting on Sarmiento’s goal, which came after a Massimo Luongo’s shot was pushed back into danger, Kieran said: “We knew it was going to be the kind of game where you needed everyone, because we wanted to start with as much energy as possible. 

“We knew if we could stay in the game, ideally leading but even be level or at least be tight, we knew we had great impetus coming off the bench, which everyone off the bench gave us. 

Leicester boss Enzo Maresca said, per the club website: “It’s a big shame because we deserved to win. The effort from the players has been unbelievable. But it’s football, it happened. We were 1-0 up and drew at the end.

“I have nothing to say about the performance because it was very good. We had many chances but you know in football, until you score the second goal, anything can happen at 1-0 up.

“When you create many and you miss, football punishes you. It was very similar [to the Boxing Day game] but we’ve also scored many goals at the end of games in our season.

“Especially in the first half we had three or four more chances one-vs.-one with the ‘keeper, but the important thing is that we continue to create chances. We pressed very well.

“It was a good goal, but we had three or four more moments where we were in control of the ball and created chances. I think probably in the second half we had even more chances than in the first. We concede a goal at the end. It’s a shame for the players and the way they performed.

“The Championship is very long, very difficult,” he added. “It’s a race, sometimes you are in front, sometimes you are behind. The most important thing is the way that we perform and it’s been very good, so we need to continue.

“I’m happy because in terms of the final target and confidence, we are going in the right direction. The Championship is still 18 games but we are in the right position, seven points from Ipswich, eight from Southampton.”

As mentioned, fans were baffled at yellow card for Ipswich’s Harry Clarke after winning the ball with a sliding tackle…

@irvinref: Absolutely ridiculous that was a booking. Brilliant tackle! So many softies in the game these days. 😡🤷🏿‍♂️👀

@vale49ers: Great tackle, what’s laughable is Dewsbury Hall pretending to be injured.

@jackdoona: Tbf a booking is well harsh there like.

@tenhagsredss: cracking tackle, what’s the problem 😂

@Dave_Auton: Never a foul, let alone a booking…..

@BurnsyAFC: Literally definition of a perfect tackle

@slatz73: Holding his shin like he’d been smashed too, then 2 minutes later snipered in the box and gets away with a booking for the blatant dive! 🤷‍♂️

@ArsenalOclock:
All ball, no man
10/10

@waller_rowan: Great tackle

@Iamspartacus80: Dewsbury Hall dived all the first game, and throughout tonight. Note he isn’t even touched here. Good player. Cheat.

@James_Taylor6: It’s not even a foul nevermind a card 🤣

@G72B_: Not even a foul, let alone a yellow.

@Adam_Calvert88: Wasn’t even a foul! Games gone!

@steveoclarke: Game is so damn soft. Perfect challenge

@GeorgeRobbo_14: This refs absolutely lost the plot

@Philbaker78: It’s the reaction of all player nowadays and unfortunately 95% of players play on it now. It’s basically cheating in my eyes and embarrassing

@_ben_goodwin_: One of the cleanest tackles I’ve ever seen, no way people even think that’s a foul.

@Lev_Head_Dan: That was impeccable, it was low, controlled, took the full ball. Follow through contact was minimal, awful decision.

@_Gatsby90: They’re trying to ban tackling. The sport we love is becoming soft. The prima donna Dewsbury Hall doesn’t help by rolling around like he’s been shot.

@JackColquhoun10: Typical ref. Get a booking for winning the ball

@Neilprentice1: Perfect tackle 👏

@Liam__Gregory: @FA_PGMOL sort your refs out. 100% fair, clean challenge and he gets booked?

@stefanpeck78: Great tackle, Nothing wrong with @HarryyClarke6 tackle other that Sky loving, superstar Leicester surrounding the very weak ref.

@Callxm10: Can someone explain to me where the foul is here? Games gone soft #itfc

@jonnyingall: F all wrong with that. Superb challenge!

@PearceJoshJP: Never a yellow… absolutely appalling

@drsinn: No f**ing way was that a yellow… fuming!!!

@_dan1878: one of the best tackles i’ve ever seen not even a foul let a alone a card 😭

@PeckAndrew: He won the ball. Pathetic refereeing. A proper tackle. Not dangerous.

@VPClarke: It’s a brilliant tackle. Wins 100% of the ball. Not even a free kick, let alone a yellow.