Middlesbrough’s Michael Carrick slams red card call and penalty decision for Sunderland

Middlesbrough’s Michael Carrick slams red card call and fumes at the penalty decision for Sunderland in Sunday’s meeting between the two.

Carrick hit out at the “big decisions” that went against his side in the 2-0 defeat to the Black Cats, with the Boro boss disagreeing with Dael Fry’s red card before criticising the penalty which was awarded.

Although Carrick acknowledged that his side was below par, he was confident Boro would still take at least one point following positive half-time dressing-room discussions.

Sunderland sit 9th in the Championship table with 41 points from 28 games played while Middlesbrough are 6th with 42 points from 28 games.

Six minutes into the restart, Fry was adjudged guilty of fouling Ross Stewart. The pair raced to reach Patrick Roberts’ through ball, with the striker falling as he advanced in the box. Fry was then given a straight red by James Linington, referee.

“I don’t agree with either to be honest with you,” said Carrick, as per Northern Echo.

“For the sending off, I don’t think Dael has made any attempt to bring him down, there wasn’t a push, a pull, a trip, he’s literally running in a straight line. Ross is entitled to go down, I don’t blame him, but from Dael’s point of view there’s nothing deliberate about it to try and pull him down.

“Then it’s out of the box, it’s not even worth me answering that. It changed the game. In big games like this you can’t get them decisions wrong.

“Of course, Dael’s disappointed. There’s not much more you can say about that really. He’s been terrific for us, but he got punished far too harshly from what I can see.”

Carrick wouldn’t commit to a Boro appeal against the decision but strongly suggested that would be the case.

The Boro head coach was “disappointed” with his side’s first half display at the Stadium of Light but added he was confident the visitors would have taken something from the match had it not been for the decisions.

He said: “Sometimes you come to places where they have a good team and you can’t expect to have it all your own way. They have some really good players, in forward positions specifically, that can cause you problems. It (the first half display) wasn’t surprising, but it’s disappointing.

“I thought we started well enough in the second half, there was a real desire in the changing room at half-time to come out and be that bit better and we believed we could win the game. The sending off and penalty put us behind and we were chasing but we deal with that really well and were positive, so I was pleased with the lads with how they went about that.”

🗣️ “It was outside the box.”

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick disagrees with the referee’s decision to give Sunderland a penalty. 👀 pic.twitter.com/6eLRrkXz4v

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 22, 2023

Carrick was however pleased with the manner in which his side responded to conceding and going down to 10 men.

Carrick, who felt his side should have had a late spot kick when Chuba Akpom went down in the box, said: “We weren’t at our best, we know that, but that’s football, you can’t always be at your best. It can’t always be as perfect as we want it but we were well in the game and with 10 men we dealt with that really well. I was really pleased with the lads how we dealt with that.

“We kept our shape well, looked a threat, still got on the front foot when we could and at 1-0 I still fancied us to get back in the game. So I was really pleased with that, that was a real positive.

“The second goal kills it, but we should have a penalty late on with five minutes to go, so that’s two big decisions that have gone against us.”

Tony Mowbray was happy with his team’s performance after claiming all three points.

“Amad’s opportunity where he went one on one with the goalkeeper, where he read the goalkeeper’s pass, you’re waiting for the net to bulge on that one.

“A brilliant bit of play that put Ross Stewart in, a great run across the front of the defender from six yards out and he puts it over the bar. You’re normally expecting the net to bulge on that.

“I think we knew we had played ok in the first half, we denied them to few clear-cut opportunities and created some ourselves.

“I think we deserved to win, I think we created the chances and moved the ball well today, I think we played against a good team who have got very definitive patterns of play and rotations in their team.

“We worked hard, and we were organised; it was the right result in my mind.

“I like this group of players and they work really hard; they are young players and as I keep saying they finished fifth in League One last year.

“They are adapting to this division, and they are working really hard to be a decent team. As I’ve said we have to incrementally grow it bit by bit.”

Twitter users reacted as Middlesbrough’s Michael Carrick slams the red card call and penalty decision for Sunderland…

@safc_doddsy: Swings and roundabouts, we should of had one at the riverside but didn’t get it, it’s football!

@Geoff_Mawson: Certainly wasn’t impressed with the commentary, very pro Sunderland biased especially when you bring in one of their current players for a cameo appearance

@LisgoSkol: He’s clutching abit here like. The better team won on the day. I was expecting better from Boro tbh, seen them play better than that recently. He can’t grumble at getting beat all the better chances went our way

@Pete_Js: Such an odd decision. Yes if he felt it was a foul, 100% it was outside the box. Even then, really was nothing in it. Feels like there are very few, if any, good English refs

@roth_hyman: Embarrassing interview, Boro were second best all game and were lucky not to be 3 down at halftime.

@boroboy71: Have to say as a Boro fan that was the worst performance under Carrick today and we got what that performance deserved nothing ! Very frustrating from a Boro point of view

@dangerousdilks: What was the point in having a current Sunderland player Luke O’Nien on co-coms today? Complete bias from sky and once again awful coverage… they even said at one point 20mins into the game “I suppose we better talk about Middlesbrough for balance”👀😳😬

@makempete: The law states if a foul starts outside the box but continues into the box the officials can award a penalty. As the last contact occurred when LNDs foot was on the line it’s a penalty. End of argument.

@MarkaMackem: Let’s be honest here. It was definitely a red card as he was last man but it wasn’t a penalty, should of been a free kick outside the box but it’s about time we had some luck from the referees cos they have been awful for us all season

@RyanRiley92: Bless him. Can tell he’s a mag 😅

@_Sm1th10: Tell them don carrick

@CorkingNeil: Take on board everything Carrick said but a number of our players let the occasion get to them and didn’t perform

@GJohnson2022: We absolutely battered Boro from start to finish

@SAFCBible1879: Cry me a river 😭

@TeaserSJ: Wasn’t watching same game as me 🙄.. fully deserved 3 points.. red card or not 👋🏻

@Addison1978G: How was it not a red card

@eb92safc: Cry some more

@indiajxnexx: Does he know that if you’re deliberately preventing a goalscoring opportunity which Dael Fry was, it’s a red card? lol

@SunAFC1879: Yes it was potentially outside the box… but he WAS fouled and was the last man stopping a clear goal scoring opportunity so clear red… sour grapes 🤷‍♂️ #SAFC

@mgreen75: Agreed. It shouldn’t of been a red and it was never a pen.

@matt723289: I like Michael Carrick. He’s right about decisions a reckon, if they went they other way I’m not sure we could have many complaints, notwithstanding that we were the better team and dominated for large parts. Good game of football.