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Fulham fans slam Ivan Toney over ‘disrespectful’ celebration and for booting Sasa Lukic’s face

Fulham fans have took to slam Ivan Toney over his ‘disrespectful’ celebration and for booting Sasa Lukic’s face as Brentford won 3-2.

Toney scored his first goal after reportedly pleading guilty for FA betting charges, as the Bees came out 3-2 winners.

He found the net with a comfortable spot kick, firing the ball past Bernd Leno.

Toney laughed as he used a similar celebration Fulham’s Mitrovic, coming off the back of an altercation the two players had earlier in the season.

Back then, Mitrovic claimed he was Toney’s “idol” after the Brentford player did the same celebration in Fulham’s 3-2 league win in August.

Toney briefly played with Mitro at Newcastle. The Serb had one last laugh at Craven Cottage when he scored a late winner.

Toney, however, made sure that it was him and his side that won bragging rights on this occasion – with goals from Mathias Jensen and Ethan Pinnock securing a thrilling win for the hosts.

Fulham fans came away unhappy with Toney’s attempts to imitate Mitrovic’s celebration.

Explaining both gestures in his celebration, having also been seen suckng his thumb, new-father Toney said: “I am a fan of Mitrovic so I have to do his celebration and it was also for my son.”

On scorng another penalty, the 28th of his career so far, Toney added: “The wait doesn’t matter, the longer the better really because I can get away and think of other things like being away on holiday and chilling.

“The goalkeeper didn’t move but I have always got a spot where I put the ball. I only changed the way I take penalties after I missed one.”

Brentford boss Thomas Frank praised Toney, adding: “I take all the praise, it is solely me. No it is Ivan that is the technique he had when he arrived at Brentford.

“He is the best penalty taker in the world for a few reasons, his strategy, he practices it and he is very cool. He keeps doing it all the same.

“It is a unique skill with him, I think in general before this situation with the case going on before that unique ability to focus on games and training and he has kept doing that so that doesn’t surprise me.

“He doesn’t like the situation but he has top focus.

“He is a special footballer, I think his character is unique in terms of leadership and driving his team.

“His link-up play and the way he sees his team-mates around in terms of combinations and then his ability to score goals. He is an all-around football player.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva: “A disappointing night for us. It was more our fault, the way we cannot play a derby away from home and we cannot start the way we started the game.

“We know how they’re aggressive, can punish you with runs in behind and in the first 10 minutes we conceded a goal but we gave two or three situations for them to score. We were sloppy at the start of the first half and the second half. We showed the character with the reaction.

“I think that penalty was a really harsh decision from the official. If it’s a VAR decision I can understand. But it’s difficult to see the soft touch from the player, a really harsh decision from the referee. But it was our fault not the referee’s fault.”

Danny Murphy thought Toney shouldn’t have been on the pitch to take it, adamant Toney was lucky to escape a red card for a challenge on Fulham’s Saka Lukic just before the break.

Lukic came out worse off as he and Toney contested a 50-50 ball at the Brentford Community Stadium, with the Fulham player getting a cut after being booted in the face by Toney, with Sky commentators surprised he wasn’t taken off.

Player ratings

Brentford: Raya (6); Hickey (7), Pinnock (8), Mee (8), Henry (8); Norgaard (8), Jensen (8), Damsgaard (7); Mbeumo (7), Wissa (6), Toney (8).

Subs: Janelt (6), Schade (7), Dasilva (N/A), Rasmussen (N/A)

Fulham: Leno (5), Tete (6), Diop (5), Ream (5), Robinson (5), Lukic (6), Reed (6), Willian (5), Pereira (8), Solomon (7), Mitrovic (6).

Subs: Wilson (6), Decordova-Reid (6), Soares (6), Vinicius (7)

Player of the match: Ivan Toney (Brentford)

Referee Anthony Taylor didn’t issue Toney a yellow card, however Murphy says Toney deserved more than a caution.

“He knew what he was doing there,” Murphy said on commentary for talkSPORT.

“It’s a sending off, he knows what he’s doing. That’s how I used to tackle myself, you go over the top with your straight leg and you leave it there.

“Trust me I’ve played the game long enough, it’s a red card. They won’t give it because they won’t understand. I know what he’s doing.

“Toney, I love him, he’s great but that’s a red card,” Murphy added.

“The way you get away with saying, ‘I’m not trying to hurt an opponent’ is you always say the same line, ‘I’m trying to protect myself.’

“The reason I’m adamant is because that is exactly how I used to tackle. You come in and once you miss the ball you leave your leg straight, so whatever hits your leg after it’s gone straight is going to come off worse than yourself.

“The cut on the cheek isn’t the problem because you can accidentally put your stud on someone’s face, but when you go through the ball and you have a straight leg… it’s a red card all day, every day and twice on Sundays.

“They [VAR] will have checked it but interpreted as an accident.”

As mentioned, fans, and much of that a supporter of Fulham, take to slam Ivan Toney over ‘disrespectful’ celebration and for booting Sasa Lukic’s face…

@b_e_a_n_s: Genuinely baffled as to how this isn’t a red card. If you go in recklessly, studs-up, get nowhere near ball & catch an opponent on the shin or knee, 9 times out of 10 it’s a red. Toney goes in recklessly, studs-up on Lukic’s face, nowhere near ball & doesn’t even get booked. #ffc

@ffcJoe6: you shouldn’t even be playing

@Jimmy___87: gonna have a long holiday soon mate

@TedHilI: Toney thinking of Mitrovic ahead of his pregnant wife fairs

@RickyPopat: Would love to see Mitrovic score and do a horse riding celebration to hit back at Toney taking the piss doing his after scoring.

@StuartBriers: Toney is obsessed with Mitrovic!

@sarah_kingswell: Should have been sent off. He knew what he was doing.

@wbaxkie: Toney was very lucky, boot to the face like that is endangering a player, he should’ve got sent off for that

@drunard: Struggling to understand how Toney wasn’t sent off for his assault on Lukic

@FulhamTransfer: Don’t think Taylor had the best night as ref. It looks reckless to me but I think he gave us one with Lukic not getting sent off.

@drunard: Yeah, although Lukic had just had a face full of studs, so a mistimed tackle was understandable

@Vengeance2315: Should be banned. How someone with over 200 breaches of betting rules is still playing I dunno.

@camstutely: No booking = joke

@PhilEsh: What the hell. No yellow?

@sidney483: How did VAR not even look at that? With ‘force’ and ‘endangered’ the player. Outrageous.

@TomRogers24: Not even a VAR check

@mucca_05: Lukic has a hole in his cheek and the ref thinks that’s okay?!

@JasonSinclair7: Can’t believe they didn’t look at it…. but probably saved Lukic from a 2nd yellow so could be 10 v 10.

@AlatFulham: The Ref evened it up quite quickly there, Toni could have been sent off for his challenge on Lukic with studs showing and few seconds later , late challenge by Lukic could have been his 2nd yellow ! Both sides got away with one there #FFC

@FrankieRatcli16: Everyone saying “Lukic should be sent off” and everyone forgot the Toney incident literally 2 seconds before that 😭 he’s got a massive line down his face the poor bloke

@pereirathegoat: Because match officials knew he probably has himself to get booked

@AbGrandad: That Ivan Toney challenge is infuriating me. Yes I get lukic should have got a second yellow but he didn’t take a man’s head off so angry honestly let me catch him in a betting shop

@benjprime: That’s an appalling challenge from Toney there, lazy, late and studs over the ball. Should be seeing at least a yellow there.

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