Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has expressed his frustration over the controversial dismissal of Hamza Dewan Choudhury during his side’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Portsmouth in the English Championship. The Bangladesh-born midfielder was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, with Wilder questioning the referee’s decision. The Sheffield boss was also unhappy after his team were denied a late penalty.
Portsmouth took control of the match by scoring twice, finding the net in the 41st and 54th minutes. Sheffield responded strongly, reducing the deficit in the 59th minute before drawing level eight minutes later. With the score at 2-2, the visitors appeared to have regained their footing in the contest.
However, Portsmouth struck again in the 89th minute to secure a 3-2 victory, leaving Sheffield frustrated after their spirited comeback. The defeat was made more difficult by Hamza’s dismissal, which had occurred just before half-time.
The red card followed an incident involving Portsmouth player Ryan Kavuma-McQueen. After the opposition player attempted to take the ball through Hamza’s legs and subsequently went to ground, referee Oliver Langford awarded a foul and showed the Sheffield midfielder a second yellow card.
Wilder questioned the decision, claiming that the referee had initially appeared unwilling to issue a second booking before changing his mind. The Sheffield manager also questioned whether Hamza had any realistic opportunity to avoid contact in the situation.
Speaking after the match, Wilder voiced his frustration over the decision.
“Where else is Hamza supposed to go? Honestly, I just cannot understand where he was supposed to go,” he said.
Although clearly unhappy, Wilder acknowledged that he had to be careful with his comments about the referee. He suggested that there were things he wanted to say but could not express openly.
“I do not understand where Hamza was supposed to be in that moment. I have to be very careful with what I say because there are things I might want to say that I cannot,” Wilder added.
The Sheffield manager’s frustration was compounded by another contentious incident late in the match. He claimed that one of his players had been pulled by his shirt inside Portsmouth’s penalty area, but the referee declined to award a penalty.
Wilder said the incident was particularly difficult to accept because the player’s shirt had almost been pulled off his body. He felt the incident was clear enough to warrant a penalty.
“Even right at the end of the game, one of our players was pulled inside the penalty area. His shirt was almost pulled off his body, and you could clearly see it. These things have left me extremely frustrated,” he said.
The defeat was a disappointing outcome for Sheffield United, who had recovered from a two-goal deficit to bring the match level. Their hopes of taking something from the game were ultimately dashed by Portsmouth’s late winner.
For Wilder, however, the result was not the only source of disappointment. Hamza’s controversial dismissal and the decision not to award a late penalty were central to his post-match criticism, leaving the Sheffield boss questioning key refereeing decisions in a match that was decided by the narrowest of margins.
