Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho has claimed the referee cost his side the game following a 3-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers last night.
Pompey travelled to Ewood Park knowing at least a point would see move out of the bottom three on goal difference. However, with just one away win all season, the task looked a tall order.
With the scores level at the break, Blackburn took the lead shortly after the hour mark through Makhtar Gueye. Portsmouth thought they had the opportunity to restore parity nine minutes later when Callum Lang was brought down by Rovers’ goalkeeper Aynsley Pears. The linesman appeared to flag for a penalty, but the referee overruled and the home side went straight up the other end to double their lead.
It was a pivotal moment in the game. Five minutes later, Andreas Weimann made it three to secure the victory.
Mousinho In No Doubt Referee To Blame
Following the game, Mousinho laid the blame for the defeat solely at the floor of the referee. Speaking to The News, he said:
“You probably saw from my reaction, I knew it was a penalty at the time.
“Pears comes out, Callum Lang gets the ball ahead of him – and Pears just takes him out. I can’t understand why it’s not given. I’ve just spoken to the referee and had his explanation, I’m not happy with it.
“I go in and speak to referees after games and most of the time give them honest feedback and qualify anything I say, such as by no means was it the referee’s fault that we lost or they didn’t have an influence over the result.
“That wasn’t the case today – the referee’s decision did cost us the game.
“The linesman indicated a penalty to the referee and the referee took control of the situation. Normally I wouldn’t have an issue with that, but we have had two penalties now this season – Stoke away and Watford away – where the linesman has given both decisions.
“The referee said Lang got the ball first, Pears then takes him out – but it was a coming together. Well that’s a foul anywhere else on the pitch, it’s a foul in the box, it’s a penalty 100 per cent of the time.
“If the penalty gets given there’s no way anybody complains and says “Oh it’s just a coming together”. They accept a penalty and get on with it.
“I don’t want to labour the point too much, I think everyone knows it was a mistake. Yet it’s a double whammy because Blackburn go straight up the other end and score.”
Writer’s View
Mousinho has every right to feel aggrieved. These decisions could be the difference between relegation and survival at the end of the season. It is said that it evens itself out over the course of the campaign, but there isn’t really any evidence of that. How costly could this be for Portsmouth come May?
