Warnock blasts ref over red card

Leeds manager Neil Warnock has slammed referee Mark Halsey for showing a straight red card to Luke Varney on Sunday.

Varney received his marching orders for appearing to elbow Adam Smith two minutes after the half-time interval at The Den, which Millwall won 1-0 thanks to an 85th minute goal from Chris Wood.

“He (Varney) has put his arms up but he has not actually gone in with his elbow,” Warnock said after the match.

“The contact was made below the chin but the kid has gone down like he has been hit in the head.

“But you don’t get those decisions sometimes.

“I have no complaints with the effort today. I am just disappointed that an experienced referee like that has seen fit to send him off.

“It’s getting soft now the game, you want to see some proper sendings off. That is not a sending off. I don’t know what the game is coming to.”