Ben Pearson, a midfielder for Stoke City, has acknowledged that he was not unhappy with the penalty call made during their 1-0 victory over Leeds United on Wednesday.
After the game, Pearson claimed he “clattered” Patrick Bamford and forced referee Paul Tierney to point to the spot in an interview with Stoke’s club media channel.
With the score at 0-0, Georginio Rutter’s exquisite through pass put Bamford in on goal, and he managed to get his leg in between the opponent and the ball.
Pearson brought Bamford down with fifteen minutes to go, giving him an opportunity to put Leeds ahead, but he tragically miscued his shot.
An own goal by Pascal Struijk gave Stoke the lead a few minutes later, sealing a disastrous evening for Leeds, who now found themselves much further behind the top two.
After the game, Pearson criticized himself for a “rash” challenge and said he had “no complaints” with Tierney’s decision to give the penalty.
“No, I was a little naive; I was simply trying to recover from a mistake I made maybe five seconds earlier because you don’t want them to score. He probably dangles his leg and I clatter him, especially when I’m playing against an experienced player. I’m not upset about the punishment; I think my action was a little hasty.
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