The Leeds boss also praised the restraint shown by Alan Smith, who kept his cool throughout, despite fierce intimidation by the Ukranian players.
"Alan has been criticised in the past for his temperament, but I thought out there he was a credit to us," said Venables.
"He withstood a lot of physical punishment, but he played well to lead the line, you cannot say his temperament is suspect, he is top quality.
"But I do feel the referee was lenient. I accept you have to be tolerant, but as time goes by I have more and more difficulty with what goes on."
Venables was satisfied with the 1-1 result, even though the Ukranians made life very tough for Leeds.
"It's not a matter of how we get through, it's about getting through," said Venables.
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