Iwobi’s coach slams Premier League referee over poor decision-making

• Fulham manager Marco Silva criticised referee Darren Bond for failing to send off Ipswich’s Leif Davis after a last-man foul in their 2-2 draw
• VAR upheld the referee’s yellow card ruling, concluding Ipswich’s Dara O’Shea could have covered defensively, leaving Silva fuming
• Despite extending their unbeaten run to eight games, Silva’s side had to rely on Raul Jimenez’s late penalty to salvage a point

Fulham manager Marco Silva has verbally attacked referee Darren Bond following his side’s dramatic 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town, citing baffling decisions that left him and his players frustrated. 

Silva explained his disbelief at the officials’ failure to send off Leif Davis for a last-man foul on Harry Wilson, labelling it a major moment in the game.

The controversial incident occurred in the first half when Davis tripped Wilson, who appeared to be clean through on goal. 

However, Bond only showed Davis a yellow card and a subsequent VAR review ruled that Ipswich defender Dara O'Shea was close enough to cover, thus dismissing claims of a clear goal-scoring opportunity which Silva vehemently disagreed,

“I cannot understand it, it was clear. Harry was through, and without that tackle, he would’ve been one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The explanation we got was that another player was close enough to cover, but I just don’t see it that way,” he said.

Fulham, who were in total control during a high-tempo opening half-hour, found themselves trailing twice in the match. Sammie Szmodics put Ipswich ahead before Liam Delap’s penalty restored their lead after Fulham’s first equaliser. 

Despite dominating large parts of the game, Silva’s men needed a last-minute Raul Jimenez spot-kick to secure a point and extend their unbeaten run to eight matches.

Yet, Silva argued that Fulham should have had a numerical advantage for over an hour had the referee made the correct decision, 

“We’ve seen red cards given for less, the lack of consistency in these decisions is impossible to understand,” Silva added, recalling Tom Cairney’s dismissal against Tottenham and Ryan Christie’s sending-off for Bournemouth.

Silva also criticised Bond’s handling of Fulham’s first penalty claim, which was initially waved away before VAR intervened and overturned the decision, 

“It was a clear penalty, the referee had a perfect view, yet it took VAR to make him see it differently. All three penalties in the game were obvious, but the lack of decisiveness created unnecessary drama,” he further stated.

Despite his frustration, Silva admitted his side lost composure after Ipswich’s opener but praised their resilience in clawing back twice to salvage a draw, 

“We dominated the first 30 minutes and controlled the game, but after conceding the first goal, we lost our emotional control, which happened against Bournemouth too. Still, we fought until the end, and that spirit kept our unbeaten run alive.”

“Iwobi has nothing to prove,” Troost Ekong supports Fulham star despite criticism

Previously, TheRadar reported that Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has come to the defence of Alex Iwobi, lauding the Fulham midfielder’s commitment and professionalism amid constant criticism. 

Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of Nigeria's AFCON 2025 qualifier against Rwanda, Troost-Ekong reiterated Iwobi’s importance to the national team, predicting that he will eventually be celebrated as one of the country’s footballing greats.