“I am annoyed” - Daniel Farke reacts to key moment from Leeds United’s draw with Norwich City | OneFootball

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has hit out at the officials for disallowing Junior Firpo’s first-half goal in their 0-0 first leg play-off draw at Norwich City on Sunday.

Leeds United in strong position to reach Wembley

The Whites went into the game at Carrow Road having suffered the disappointment of missing out on a top two finish, as a poor final month of the campaign saw Ipswich Town join Leicester City in the Premier League.

But, the play-offs offered Leeds another chance to bounce back to the top-flight, and the Yorkshire outfit ultimately put themselves in a strong position after drawing 0-0 against the Canaries away from home.

Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do at Elland Road, but Leeds will fancy their chances in front of their own fans on Thursday night.

However, it could’ve been even better, as the visitors thought they had got the opening goal in the first half, when Junior Firpo tapped home after Shane Duffy had diverted the ball past keeper Angus Gunn.

Daniel Farke unhappy with refereeing

Replays appeared to show that Georginio Rutter, who was challenging the Irish defender, was offside, so the goal was ruled out.

Yet, whilst TV images seemed to back up the call, Farke claims he saw a different angle that proved the French U21 international was actually onside, as he also stated that Leeds would’ve finished in the top two had the officiating been better this season.

“Sky showed a picture that proved offside, but everyone should look at the scouting feed for a proper feed. It's not offside. The officials have a rule to go in favour of the attackers when it's marginal. I am annoyed they have not followed this,” he told Leeds Live.

“Everyone speaks about Wembley and a £100m game, but at this level every decision needs to be spot on. If you are in doubt, you should favour the attacker. I expect myself to be spot on, my players too, but then the officials should feel the same pressure.

“If we are fortunate enough to go to Wembley, I know if I ask for VAR, it will not be in our favour in the final. That's karma. If we had VAR we would be automatically promoted already. We would not be in the play-offs. If we do not have VAR we have to make sure the referees are even better.”

Daniel Farke should focus on his Leeds United team

This was quite a strange outburst from Farke, as the TV replays suggest the linesman made the right call. Obviously, he has a different angle, and it would be interesting if those images were shared, but it was clearly very close, so you should be able to accept the decision.

You can understand his frustration in isolation, but the reality is that this was a forgettable game that was low on quality, and his team didn’t do enough to win. Equally so, they were comfortable for large parts, and they probably would’ve taken a draw before a ball was kicked.

His claim that Leeds would’ve been promoted if VAR was around is another dig that probably wasn’t needed.

There were some howlers that went against Leeds this season, with the failure to get a penalty at home to Sunderland one that springs to mind straight away. But, on the other hand, they benefited from a terrible offside call in a narrow win over Middlesbrough.

Leeds didn’t go up in the top two because they picked up four points from their final six games, so blaming the officials is a bit of a cheap shot.

There’s a lot of pressure on Farke, and he’s speaking straight after a tight game, so you have to give him the benefit of the doubt.