By Paul Jones
Steve Cooper gave a scathing assessment of referee Oliver Langford after Swansea City were forced to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw at Bristol City.
The Swans head coach was angry over the penalty decision in the 83rd minutethat enabled Nahki Wells to cancel out Jamal Lowe’s opening goal.
The Swans were heading towards three points and second place in the Championship when Langford judged that Connor Roberts had pulled down the Robins’ Antoine Semenyo as they went to contest a through ball.
It looked a dubious call, at best, and Cooper said: “For a decision to be made like that, it’s hard to keep my mouth shut to be honest,” said Cooper.
“We had talked about this referee in the pre-match buildup. And it was true to form.
“To make that decision, there’s nothing you can coach or say that can make that any better in preparation, before or after.
“This league is so hard to get points in, so to be on the back end of a decision like that, when we were so comfortable in the game, is a difficult one to take to be honest.”
“The lads are really disappointed with a point because of the nature of the equaliser and the decision on the penalty,” said Cooper.
“I thought it was a decent game to be fair. I liked our performance coming away from home and trying to be as positive as we were, committing bodies forward when we could.
“We got the breakthrough, a great finish from Jamal, and we looked really settled in the game.
“We went 1-0 up and there was still a long way to go in the game. They had a good chance from a set-piece early on and a couple of shots from areas where I didn’t think they’d damage us. Apart from that, I didn’t think they were going to score.
“I thought we looked really comfortable, and for the boys to defend that well, and then to get done like that, it’s hard to take.
“But it’ll make us stronger, we aren’t going to dwell on it, but speaking straight after the game, it’s hard to look past that.”
“It’s so hard to get points in this league, so to get a decision like what when we were so comfortable in the game. It’s a difficult one to take, to be honest.”
The gaffer reflects on this afternoon…
📺 Watch in full 👉 https://t.co/l6TaL5nvli pic.twitter.com/y2k2nzATH7
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) October 24, 2020
Cooper also claimed he tried to get an explanation from the official after the game, but the referee refused to see him.
Bristol City manager Dean Holden admitted: “I’d have been disappointed if it was given against us I have to say.
“But having said that, we had a stonewall penalty on Tuesday night on Tyreeq Bakinson which wasn’t given, and they do say it evens itself up, but I didn’t expect it to even out four days later I have to be honest!
“ We kept pushing, we went with four strikers on the pitch at the end of the game to try and win, I’m not going to try and protect a 1-0 defeat and get away with it, we needed to get back into it and I’m pleased that we did.”
The Swans broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when Jamal Lowe latched onto a Connor Roberts pass inside the box and fired a fierce left-footed drive across Bristol City goalkeeper Dan Bentley from a narrow angle.
But Wells beat Swans keeper Freddie Woodman with a chipped penalty down the middle to spare his side a second home defeat in the space of four days, moving them up to second in the table.