'Can't get my head around it' - Portsmouth boss John Mousinho left fuming as three costly incidents snubbed by ref in draw at Hull
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The Blues boss was indignant after claiming his team deserved two penalties at the MKM Stadium - one for Xavier Simons’ foul on Callum Lang in the first half, and a second when Kusini Yengi was pulled down inside the box by Charlie Hughes as the visitors searched for a winner.
He also believed Pompey’s hosts deserved to be reduced to 10 men after the break, when Matt Ritchie was running through on goal - only for his run to be abruptly halted as the Blues’ attacking options outnumbered the Hull defence.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAn irate Mousinho said he was heading straight for referee Anthony Backhouse after his media duties for an explanation. Before that, though, he explained why he felt so hard done by.
He told BBC Radio Solent: ‘It was really frustrating (that we couldn’t find the winner). But we need more help from the officials as well.
‘There were some really, really poor decisions and I said to the fourth official, I’m going to get sent off if I say what I really want to say.
‘The levels today - I can’t really speak anymore about it, but I think everybody here knows.’
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMousinho, who saw his side come from behind to clinch a draw thanks to Josh Murphy’s first goal for the club, continued: ‘If you look at the Lang one, he’s taken out in the first half, he (Simons) just clips him from behind and takes him out.
‘Yengi’s one - he gets goalside of him (Hughes) and pulls him down in the box. That’s given 100-percent of the time anywhere outside of the box. And, to be honest, it’s given 100-percent of the time or 99.9 percent of the time when it’s in the box. I can’t understand it.
‘The red card. I mean, we’ve got three v one on the backline if you count that man coming in covering late. It’s a professional foul, it’s a red, I can’t get my head around it, to be honest.’
João Pedro handed Hull an 11th-minute lead at the MKM Stadium, before Murphy struck back for the Blues 20 seconds into the second half.
Yengi had the chance to add a second for Pompey with a header just past the hour mark, while Lang hit the woodwork in injury-time as Pompey ended a run of successive defeats.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.