EFL make official Leeds United vs Norwich City decision
Leeds United host Norwich City at Elland Road on Wednesday.
The officiating team for Leeds United’s midweek clash against Norwich City has been confirmed, with Matthew Donohue to take charge as referee.
Leeds will hope to further cement their status as Championship promotion favourites when they welcome Norwich to Elland Road on Wednesday evening. Daniel Farke’s side returned to the league’s summit following Sunday’s 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday, having briefly dropped down into second after Sheffield United beat the Canaries on Saturday.
The same scenario could play out again if Sheffield United beat Swansea City this evening but Leeds remain focused only on themselves. Victory over Norwich would guarantee they end another round of fixtures on top and confidence is high, with Sunday’s win their 10th in 11 home games - a run in which they have taken 31 points from 33 on offer.
Leeds vs Norwich referee
The EFL have now confirmed the full officiating team for Wednesday’s Elland Road clash, with Donohue the man in the middle. The Manchester FA official has taken charge of 15 Championship games this season and proven to be one of the more lenient referees, blowing for an average of 22.79 fouls and brandishing 3.93 yellow cards per game.
But that apparent leniency frustrated the Elland Road crowd during his first visit of the season to West Yorkshire for November’s 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers. Leeds were comfortable in the end thanks to goals from Jayden Bogle and Joel Piroe, but huge first-half calls for a penalty were waved away by Donohue.
Mateo Joseph’s 35th-minute effort looked to have hit the arm of QPR defender Steve Cook, something Donohue had a clear view of but deemed okay. “The player has raised his arm and knows exactly what he’s doing,” former Premier League referee Keith Hackett told MOT Leeds News of the missed incident. “He’s made his body shape bigger and should have been penalised in this instance.”
Donohue has been back to Elland Road since, taking charge of another comfortable 2-0 victory over Derby County. There was no controversy that time round, with Farke’s side completely dominant, but frustration grew once more as the referee failed to stamp out early time-wasting from the visitors.
The EFL have also confirmed that Donohue will be assisted by Paul Hodskinson and Richard Woodward. Anthony Backhouse will be between the dugouts as fourth official.
Leeds vs Norwich team news
Leeds will hope they can enjoy a third straight 2-0 victory in the presence of Donohue to extend their unbeaten run to 11 games across all competitions. Sunday’s defeat of Sheffield Wednesday was further proof Farke’s side can produce without being at their best, but the game didn’t come without its issues.
Brenden Aaronson suffered an ankle knock during the first-half on Sunday and despite battling all the way through to second-half stoppage time, he is a doubt for Wednesday. Opening goalscorer Manor Solomon also faces a late fitness test, having reported some hamstring issues on Monday.
The pair could join longer-term absentees Patrick Bamford and Pascal Struijk on the sidelines but even then, Leeds boast a strong bill of health compared to their opponents. Norwich could be without up to 10 first-team players come Wednesday including top-scorer Borja Sainz, who will serve the third of six-game ban for spitting at Sunderland’s Chris Mepham.