Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick took issue with the key decisions which cost his side against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light - insisting Boro were hit with a 'double whammy'. The Black Cats beat Carrick's side 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Ross Stewart and Amad, which was enough to lift the Wearsiders to ninth place in the table - just a single point behind sixth-placed Boro.
There was a game-changing moment five minutes into the second half when referee James Linington awarded Sunderland a penalty after Ross Stewart was brought down by Dael Fry, and the Boro defender was also sent off for a professional foul. Carrick insisted it was not a foul and that therefore it should not have resulted in either a penalty or a red card, and that in any event the contact occurred outside the area.
"I don't agree with either [the penalty or the red card] to be honest with you," said Carrick. "For the sending off, I don't think Dael has made any attempt to bring him down, there wasn't a push, a pull, or a trip, he's literally running in a straight line.
