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James Hunter

Leam Richardson and Tony Mowbray at odds over Elliot Embleton's lucky Sunderland red card escape

Wigan boss Leam Richardson says Sunderland's Elliot Embleton was fortunate not to see red before scoring the goal that sparked the Black Cats' second-half comeback. Embleton was booked for a nasty sliding challenge on ex-Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke just in front of the dugouts inside the opening half-hour.

Wyke escaped serious damage and went on to put the Latics ahead just before half-time, but Embleton equalised soon after the break before Dennis Cirkin's brave header completed the turnaround and gave Sunderland a deserved three points. But Richardson says Embleton's challenge could easily have resulted in referee Keith Stroud producing a red card - and suggested that had one of his players committed the foul, he might have been sent off.

"The challenge didn't look great," said Richardson. "It might have been a different outcome if it had been the other way round, but I'm not going to look for excuses."

READ MORE: Lynden Gooch's Sunderland record in danger as Tony Mowbray explains Abdoullah Ba's omission

Unsurprisingly, Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray took a different view, and referenced another sliding tackle five minutes later which saw Wigan's Curtis Tilt booked for a foul on Patrick Roberts, saying that that shouldn't have resulted in a card either. "They were both poor decisions, really," said Mowbray.

"It was wet, it was pouring down, the pitch was soaking wet. Both players [Embleton and Wyke] slid for the ball, whoever got there first was getting it and the other lad was probably going to get caught.

"Embleton just poked it [the ball] and the slide followed through. In my opinion, play on.

"Then a few minutes later he [the referee] booked another lad [Tilt] for a slide tackle. I'm from a certain era where you could tackle.

"It seems you can't go to ground on a wet day if two players collide in a challenge. So, for me, it [the Embleton challenge] shouldn't have even been a booking - I don't know if people are saying it should have been more.

"I wasn't worried it would be a red."

Wyke returned to Wearside for the first time since he suffered a cardiac arrest in training in November and, while there was some booing directed at him during the game, he was later given a round of applause by the Sunderland fans when he was substituted in the second half. Richardson said: "I have to be very complimentary to Sunderland, I thought they were very complimentary around the time Charlie had his episode.

"And I thought in the main, 99 percent of the people in the ground were very supportive of him again yesterday afternoon. For him to have got the goal here, I know it's a club that he holds dear, it's great.

"And if I'm going to take one positive, I'll take that one."

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