Promotion is beckoning for Leeds United as their win vs Preston could prove to be the pivotal point of their season.
It’s been pure positivity around Leeds recently, and Daniel Farke will be lapping it up with joy.
Even though it’s not all happy, as Joel Piroe has lost fans to Patrick Bamford, the overall consensus is that the Whites are back on track.
Farke will be relieved after a ropey few weeks saw his job look slightly insecure, but back-to-back wins has dismissed any chance of him leaving.
However, something has been made clear by fans that Illan Meslier won’t like.
What Leeds United fans were doing in Preston win
Despite the victory it was a game made to be a lot harder by Farke’s side, as a 3.71 xG exemplifies that.
Luckily, Manor Solomon and Jayden Bogle’s early goals were on hand to grant Leeds with three points and now a huge five-point gap over Sheffield United.
It wasn’t all happy days in the Leeds camp though, as in addition to Piroe, Meslier wouldn’t have enjoyed what Leeds fans were doing to Karl Darlow.
Every time Darlow caught the ball from corners, fans celebrated it like a goal, which is a stark contrast from Meslier’s errors in the air.
Rafa Benitez knew catching was Darlow’s strength, and Farke has probably made his mind up for Leeds’ goalkeeping future.
Cheers speaks volumes to Illan Meslier’s future at Leeds
It’s looking like game by game, Darlow is getting stronger.
Despite an unusual attempt to punch the ball resulting in a yellow card, Darlow had a solid outing and makes it two decent showings.
Darlow made a brilliant save as well, but his little bits of work would’ve been what impressed Elland Road, and his statistics back that up.
| Darlow’s numbers in Leeds’ 2-1 win vs Preston | |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Saves | 1 |
| High claims | 6 |
| Passing accuracy % | 65% |
| Goals prevented | 0.27 |
Despite sympathy shown to Meslier from Leeds fans, Darlow is seemingly the much preferred option.
The Frenchman no doubt made the Whites faithful feel uneasy, but what Darlow does is the complete opposite.
It’s clear what will happen in the summer, as Meslier might have already played his last minutes for the club.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
