Andre Breitenreiter called for VAR to be used in Championship matches after Nahki Wells’ stoppage-time penalty had denied his Huddersfield team a crucial win.
The former Terriers striker sent a powerful spot-kick past Lee Nicholls with almost the last kick of the game after referee Rebecca Welch had judged substitute Ollie Turton to have handled a Cameron Pring cross.
The goal cancelled out Josh Koroma’s clinical strike from 10 yards after 81 minutes and meant Huddersfield remained in the Championship drop zone with just three games left.
Head coach Breitenreiter said: “I have said before that the Championship needs VAR for sure and this moment proved it.
“We don’t think it was a penalty and a referee needs to be 150 per cent sure to award one in the 98th minute.
“VAR would have meant justice for my team. I spoke to the referee afterwards and she explained her reasons for the decision, but that doesn’t change anything.
“I feel so sorry for my players because they are crying in the dressing room, yet their performance today was all I could have asked.
“We played as a team for 90 minutes, working hard throughout and created chances.
“Maybe we should have scored a second goal, but we defended well as a team, which is what we needed in more games in the past.
“You could tell the Bristol City fans were unhappy with their team at half-time and that shows how well we played.
“Ollie Turton is in the dressing room trying to apologise for a mistake. But he didn’t make a mistake.
“It isn’t the first time a big decision has gone against us. But I would rather talk about the performance than something over which we have no control.
“The players are so disappointed, but they shouldn’t be because they did so well.
“Now we have two home games in the final three and have to play with the same attitude.”
City head coach Liam Manning said of the spot-kick: “Cam Pring thought it was a penalty, but I was in no position to judge.
“It was a tough and frustrating game for us, but sometimes it can have a positive effect to secure a result from a below-par performance.
“We have been on the wrong end of late goals and the difference between a draw and losing on confidence is very different.
“In the end it was a solid point for us and a result we might not have got a few months ago.
“If you want to be successful in this division you have to be able to go 11 or 12 games unbeaten. That means picking up points when not at your best.
“Because of injuries, we had a new look to our back-line, with players out of their normal position. I thought they did well.
“In the first half our passing was sloppy at times and we weren’t positive enough with our running.
“We were better in the second half, but the players know we weren’t at our best and are honest enough to admit that.
“I would be happy to see VAR introduced in the Championship, but with a few amendments. Games can be held up for too long.”
Vardy eyes 100-point season after Leicester's title win
Jamie Vardy has challenged his Leicester City team-mates to reach 100 points after sealing the Championship title with one game to spare.
The Foxes were promoted back to the Premier League without kicking a ball after Leeds United’s 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday, but they needed to win on Monday to earn top spot.
Enzo Maresca’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory over Preston through Vardy’s brace and Kasey McAteer’s header, moving them to 97 points.
With one last milestone in their reach, Vardy wants to make sure they end an already successful season on a high.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “We can celebrate it tonight, but now we have another target which is 100 points.
“We are over the moon. It has gone by quick but it's a graft. Not many days off, I'll tell you that.
“The lads - they've given it all. Thoroughly deserved, and I'm glad we've had 5000 to come and celebrate with us. It's not like it's 20 minutes up the road."
After a run of just three victories from nine games in the league between mid-February and April, Leicester have now won each of their last three outings.
Maresca has praised his players for their hard work in what he labelled a “tough season”.
“Fantastic, it's been a fantastic season. The Championship is a tough season and very intense, but I'm very happy," said Maresca.
"Now it's time to enjoy the work of the season to bring this special club back to the Premier League. We deserve it.
“The last two days they have been fantastic. We got promoted, but it was difficult in game preparation. But we used all of today to prepare for the game, the morning and afternoon. It was good.”
Barcelona 4-2 Valencia: Lewandowski hat-trick leads Barca to 4-2 win over 10-man Valencia
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski scored a second-half hat-trick to help his side fight back to claim a hard-fought 4-2 win over Valencia, who were leading 2-1 when they were reduced to 10 men just before the break.
Fermin Lopez's header from a Raphinha cross put Barca in front after 22 minutes, but Valencia's Hugo Duro struck in the 27th and Pepelu scored from the spot after a foul by Ronald Araujo 11 minutes later to give the visitors the lead.
But after Valencia keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili saw red for a handball outside the box before the break, Xavi's side dominated and Lewandowski scored with two headers from corners in the 49th and 82nd minutes before getting his treble with a free-kick in added time.
The win postponed Real Madrid's almost inevitable LaLiga title celebrations for a couple of weeks as Carlo Ancelotti's side sit atop the standings on 84 points.
Barcelona moved back to second in LaLiga on Monday with 73 points as they leapfrogged surprise package Girona, who are third with 71. Those two teams will meet in a Catalonia derby on Saturday.
Data debrief
Barcelona conceded two goals in the first half of a home game for the second time this season, after also doing so against Girona in LaLiga in December 2023.
However, Lewandowski's goals have been invaluable to La Blaugrana this season as he's earned 17 points with his 16 goals in the league.
Preston 0-3 Leicester City: Foxes seal Championship title in style
Leicester City cruised to a 3-0 win over Preston in the Championship on Monday to clinch the title with a game to spare.
Jamie Vardy was the star for the Foxes as he scored in both halves before Kasey McAteer made sure of the points with an unmarked header.
Abdul Fatawu had the chance to cap an already memorable night for the travelling fans but hit the post with his curler.
Preston slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat, while Leicester go into their final game against Blackburn Rovers with the knowledge that they will lift the trophy after the final whistle.
Data Debrief
Jamie Vardy has scored 18 goals this season (two in this game), more than any other Leicester player in the competition. He has also netted in his last three games, scoring four goals in total.
It was a dominant performance from the Foxes, who had 19 shots with 11 of those on target. At the other end, Preston only managed to test Jakub Stolarczyk once from their five attempts.
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