Bolton boss Lennon furious with “rubbish” refereeing in FA Cup loss to Liverpool

The FA Cup fourth-round replay between Bolton and Liverpool had its fair share of thrills, but Wanderers boss Neil Lennon walked away feeling dissatisfied.

And that’s not just because he lost the game.

[ MATCH RECAP: Bolton 1-2 Liverpool ]

Lennon called the work of head referee Roger East “rubbish” after the official sent off Bolton’s Neil Danns on a second yellow just a few minutes after the Wanderers took a 1-0 lead on Eidur Gudjohnsen’s penalty conversion.

Even that didn’t escape Lennon’s wrath. From the BBC:

“I thought he was rubbish,” said Lennon. “I thought he spoiled what was a very good game.”

The first booking Neil Danns gets isn’t a booking. He doesn’t make contact and it’s his first challenge of the game. I thought there were other things that went on in the game that went Liverpool’s way.

“I understand the sending-off and I told Neil at half-time he had to be careful but the first one wasn’t a yellow card. I don’t think the referee had a choice with the second yellow card.”

Lennon also said he was “not convinced that our penalty was a penalty either”.

Well, then.

Liverpool’s equalizer and match-winner were class, but Bolton did stand a chance at a resounding upset before the sending off. We’re obviously dealing in sour grapes here, and the former Celtic boss can surely expect a fine for his strong words.

Follow @NicholasMendola