Former referee’s brutal take down of Don Goodman after ‘ugly’ Sheffield United claim in Sunderland clash

Former referee Mark Halsey shut-down complaints by Sky Sports co-commentator Don Goodman after the former Sunderland striker described Sheffield United players’ actions as ‘ugly’ following a rash challenge by Black Cats’ Trai Hume on Blades striker Daniel Jebbison.

The tackle prompted United players to run towards the referee Matt Donohue, who brought out a yellow card, but rather than focus on the severity of the tackle, Goodman rounded on the Blades.

Giving his view of the aftermath of the challenge during Sky Sports’ coverage Goodman said: “It’s a yellow card and Sheffield United players need to get away from the referee because that [melee] is what happens. Unfortunately it’s the world we live in... players will try and get their opponents sent off.  If it was a Sheffield United player committing that challenge it would be OK in the mind of Sheffield United, wouldn’t it.

He added: “This has got to stop, this surrounding of referees, this putting referees under pressure. Literally six, seven, eight Sheffield United players sprinted to the referee, we can’t have it, it’s a yellow card. The ball breaks in an area where [Hume] thinks he can win it and clearly can’t, he’s second best. [The tackle] is aggressive, I’ll grant you that. To me, he just gets done by the quick feet of Jebbison, genuinely trying to [get the ball] but look at the swarm, that’s what it is, that is so ugly, I can’t tell you.”

However, one ex-Premier League referee weighed-in on that viewpoint by stating that had Donohue given a red card, the confrontation would not have happened. Tweeting in response to Star columnist Alan Biggs’ assertion that it was a ‘clear red’, experienced former official Mark Halsey posted: “This challenge met the criteria for SFP [Serious Foul Play]. If the referee had recognised this and produced the red card straight away, then the melee would not have occurred.”

United went on to win the match 2-1 after James McAtee and Tommy Doyle overturned Edouard Michut’s opener for the home side.

The winner from Doyle came in controversial circumstances as the Man City loanee’s free-kick went straight in while Sander Berge, who was in an offside position, made an attempt to get on the end of it.

Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray said afterwards: “One of my coaching staff has just come out of the office and the referee has apologised and said he got it wrong, which doesn’t mean very much to us at the moment. I genuinely sit here and say if you know anything about football it’s offside. It’s not even in doubt. He’s interfering with play, which has made our goalkeeper stand still.”