Leeds United duo Marc Roca and Mateusz Klich could have joined Luis Sinisterra in picking up a red card against Aston Villa, according to two journalists covering the match.

The lowdown

Leeds and Villa played out a fiery goalless draw on Sunday which featured more fouls than any other Premier League game this season.

Sinisterra was sent off for a second bookable offence shortly after half-time and will now serve a one-match suspension against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The latest

Graham Smyth of The Yorkshire Evening Post says that Leeds substitute Klich, who only came on for Brenden Aaronson in the 79th minute, had committed three card-worthy fouls.

He tweeted: "94 - Klich with what I reckon is his third yellow card offence. Still no card."

His colleague Joe Donnohue had earlier suggested in the first half that starting midfielder Roca could have seen red for a bad tackle.

He posted: "35' Roca booked for a really strong challenge. Could have been a red so easily. Late, late, late."

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The verdict

Leeds manager Jesse Marsch refused to comment on the performance of referee Stuart Atwell after the match but perhaps privately he will have been relieved to see Klich and Roca avoid joining Sinisterra in being shown red.

Indeed, he withdrew the Spaniard for Junior Firpo before the hour mark, and while there may have been a tactical reshuffle taking place following Sinisterra's red card, maybe he was also looking to protect the 25-year-old from a dismissal.

There may be a slight problem with discipline in the Whites' ranks, with Marsch's side now ranking inside the league's top six for total yellow cards (16), despite playing one match fewer than many of the teams around them.