NafisaDaniel Farke was already furious with the refereeing after Leeds United suffered a dramatic 6-3 defeat to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
The Leeds boss watched his side surrender a two-goal advantage at Stamford Bridge in a second-half collapse that saw Chelsea score six times, with a controversial penalty becoming one of the major flashpoints of the evening.
Farke was particularly unhappy with the decision to award Chelsea a spot-kick after Dan James was judged to have fouled Pep Chavarria inside the Leeds penalty area.
The Leeds manager also believed his side should have been awarded a penalty of their own later in the contest after Noah Okafor appeared to be brought down inside the box.
But after a night in which Farke’s frustrations with the officials were already boiling over, Leeds have now been handed another development that could leave their manager even less impressed.
The latest announcement concerns the referee who will take charge of Leeds’ Premier League meeting with Newcastle United at Elland Road on Monday night.
And it is a name that may bring back some particularly unpleasant memories for the Leeds boss.
Daniel Farke was left fuming after what the referee did last season:
The Premier League has confirmed that Michael Salisbury will referee Newcastle’s visit to Elland Road on Monday, with Adam Nunn and Nick Hopton appointed as his assistants.
Tom Nield will be the fourth official, while John Brooks has been selected as VAR and James Mainwaring will serve as assistant VAR.
The appointment could raise eyebrows among the Leeds faithful because Salisbury was also the referee when Newcastle hosted Leeds last season.
That match ended in a dramatic 4-3 victory for Newcastle at St James’ Park, with Harvey Barnes scoring a late winner.
Salisbury’s involvement in that game was already a source of frustration for the Leeds camp, particularly after Newcastle were awarded a late penalty following a handball involving Leeds midfielder Ao Tanaka.
Farke was unhappy with the decision at the time and argued that the incident should not have resulted in a spot-kick.
Now, after another night of controversy involving a Leeds side and a referee’s penalty decision, Salisbury is the man who has been handed responsibility for Monday night’s Premier League clash.
Newcastle’s official announcement confirmed Salisbury’s appointment and noted that he also refereed their 4-3 victory over Leeds last season.
There is therefore an obvious subplot heading into Monday’s fixture.
Farke will be desperate for his players to put the Chelsea disappointment behind them, but the Leeds manager will also be hoping that the officiating does not become another major talking point at Elland Road.
This time, however, there will be VAR available, with Brooks operating from Stockley Park.
That could provide an important difference from the midweek Carabao Cup defeat, where the controversial penalty decision against Leeds was not subject to a VAR intervention.
Leeds will simply hope that Salisbury and his team produce a far less contentious performance when Newcastle arrive in Yorkshire.
Leeds need to respond with a performance against Newcastle:
For all the frustration surrounding the Chelsea defeat, Leeds cannot afford to dwell on it for too long.
An EFL Cup exit is hardly a catastrophe in itself, but the manner of the defeat will have concerned Farke.
Leeds had taken a 2-0 lead and appeared to have Chelsea exactly where they wanted them before the game spectacularly turned on its head.
Chelsea eventually scored six times, leaving Farke with plenty to analyse before the return to Premier League action.
The defensive collapse will be the biggest concern.
Whatever the circumstances surrounding the controversial penalty, Leeds simply cannot afford to concede six goals in one half if they want to establish themselves as a competitive Premier League side.
Farke will also be hoping that the performance does not damage the confidence his players had built before the Stamford Bridge nightmare.
The best possible response would be to produce a disciplined display against Newcastle and collect three points at Elland Road.
Newcastle head into the fixture unbeaten at the start of the campaign, while the visitors will also arrive with confidence after their midweek Carabao Cup victory over Millwall.
For Leeds, Monday therefore represents an opportunity to wipe away the memories of Stamford Bridge.
A strong performance, a clean sheet and three points would quickly turn the conversation away from Chelsea and back towards the Premier League campaign.
But with Michael Salisbury now confirmed as the man in the middle, Farke will know that the referee could once again become one of the biggest talking points at the final whistle.
Nafisa
