Sheffield United: 'My players deserve to be shown more respect' manager Slavisa Jokanovic fumes
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The Serb was enraged when referee Robert Jones awarded a penalty following Enda Stevens’ challenge on Dominic Solanke, despite television replays later confirming the incident took place outside the box.
Having earlier seen Morgan Gibbs-White fire United in front at the Vitality Stadium, Jokanovic also insisted Philip Billing’s winner should have been disallowed for offside.
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Hide AdInsisting his players deserved better treatment from the match officials, he told The Star: “I respect people but I also ask them to respect my job and respect my players. We expect respect for the hard work that they put in.
“This is what happens. When my players approach their job like they did, and put in the hard work that they did, they should be respected for that. That is what I think. This is what I believe.”
United slipped to 14th in the table following their loss at the Vitality Stadium, finishing the afternoon 13 points behind Bournemouth who climbed to the top of the table after stretching their unbeaten run to 11 games.
However, Parker later admitted that a contest which saw United substitute Lys Mousset hit the woodwork during the closing stages “could have gone either way”; predicting United will be “challenging” for promotion come the end of the season.
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Hide AdJokanovic will instruct United to chronicle his concerns in the post-match report they are required to submit to the English Football League, but will stop short of asking them to lodge a complaint.
Jones is also expected to mention Jokanovic’s comments in his own review, but the 53-year-old was careful not to question the integrity of either him or his assistants. Marco Cesarini, United’s head of medical, also appeared to be warned by the fourth official Charles Breakspear for angrily protesting about Jones’ interpretation of Stevens’ challenge on Solanke.
“If I answer you honestly it will be ugly,” Jokanovic said, when asked for his thoughts on the incident. “And if I answer you kindly it will be fake.”