Gary Speed, who spent a large chunk of his playing career with Leeds, conceded that he had not enjoyed his first return to Elland Road as a manager of Sheffield United. A late Bradley Johnson goal gave Leeds the three points in a dour Yorkshire derby that saw a player from each team see red.

Speed agreed with his Leeds counterpart Simon Grayson that both dismissals were unwarranted.

He said: "I've seen the videos. If (Robert) Snodgrass doesn't get sent off, Wardy doesn't get sent off.

"Snodgrass' was a soft one. He got booked for standing in front of a free-kick and then for blocking off and I thought it was harsh.

"And the Wardy (Jamie Ward) one - he couldn't wait to send him off. It was a recurring theme all day. He was nowhere near the lad, he didn't touch him.

"But that's football and we can't use it as an excuse because we were already 1-0 down."

"Not really no. If we had won or got a result then I would have," he explained.

"But it wasn't about me today, it was about the players. We've done a lot of work through the week, preparing for the game and it's disappointing that work hasn't come to fruition."