An incensed Neil Warnock claimed that Dael Fry “could have lost an eye” following a challenge from Jarrad Branthwaite and slammed the decision not to send the Blackburn Rovers defender off as a “travesty of justice” following Middlesbrough’s 1-0 defeat at the Riverside.
Joe Rothwell’s second half strike secured the points for the visitors but the key incident of the game came in 14th minute when Branthwaite escaped punishment after catching Fry just underneath his eye with his studs.
Fry went up to try to win a header as Paddy McNair floated a cross into the box, but the Middlesbrough centre-half was kicked in the face by Branthwaite as the Blackburn defender attempted to clear.
Branthwaite’s boot clearly connected with Fry’s face, drawing a large amount of blood, but to the obvious anger of Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock, referee Dean Whitestone failed to award a spot-kick. Had he done so, he would almost certainly have had to follow it up with a straight red card.
To rub further salt into Middlesbrough’s wounds, Fry was unable to continue despite a lengthy bout of treatment, forcing Warnock to turn to inexperienced youngster Nathan Wood.
When asked by Sky Sports whether the challenge endangered Fry’s safety, Warnock replied. “Absolutely. 100 per cent. From that moment on I didn’t even want to be on the bench when you saw the horrific injury.
“I don’t think the lad meant to do him but he’s committed what you’ve just talked about. It’s a red card, it’s a penalty which changes the whole game. The whole game has been decided by the officials today and it shouldn’t be like that. It should be decided by people who know the laws, know the rules.
“I’m sure they’ll have a reason for not giving it in an hour’s time when they’ve talked together but the thing is there’s nobody between him, the linesman should give it as well.
“The doctor says it’s more or less a quarter of an inch from losing his eye, on his eyeball. That’s how serious it is. It could have been a career threatening injury. We deserve better than that. I feel absolutely sick, not just for the result, I feel sick for the player.
“We don’t get a penalty, we don’t get a sending off and then we lose one of our best players. It’s just a bloody travesty today.”
He added: “I think I’m a bit unlucky with VAR aren’t I? They bring it in the year after Chelsea did me in the Premier League. It shouldn’t have needed VAR today, crikey. Everybody stood on the bench, all you lot, all the pundits, everybody could see that’s a red card.
“As I said, the studs have gone down a millimetre from his eyeball so he’s in a mess at the minute. That was my big concern. Everything in that instance was the game for me. With people giving the right decision at the right time, I think we would have won the game comfortably if I’m honest.
“We were on top then and all of a sudden we lose one of our best players, no red card, no penalty. Absolute travesty of justice today.”
That incident proved pivotal as Blackburn went on to win with Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliot playing a key role in the goal. Elliott’s one-two with Adam Armstrong unlocked the Middlesbrough defence and, after the midfielder cut the ball back into the area, an unmarked Rothwell was left with the simple task of slotting home.
Warnock confronted Branthwaite on the pitch at full-time and the 18-year-old Everton loanee appeared unhappy at his comments as players from both teams headed down the tunnel.
Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray absolved Branthwaite from blame afterwards, though, saying: “You’re talking about an 18-year-old boy whose searching through his career his first games. He had 14 games for Carlisle, he’s played five Premier League games for Everton and this was his second or third game for us.
“He’s a young boy whose trying to put his head and boot on things like he gets told every day. If you’re going to be a centre half you have to head it and kick it and I’m pretty sure that having known him for a week now, he’s a diamond of a kid, a nice lad and there was no intention.
“At the end of the day, I’m not the referee, Jarrad’s not the referee, the referee has to make those decisions.”
Additional reporting from the Press Association
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