Jon Newsome has issued his verdict on the performance of Junior Firpo as Leeds United claimed another important victory in the Championship promotion race, as they beat Sheffield United 2-0 on Friday night.
For large parts of the game, it was not pretty from Daniel Farke‘s side. But goals in either half from Patrick Bamford and Willy Gnonto saw Leeds come away from Hillsborough with another massive three points.
The goal from Bamford obviously felt like a big moment. The goal seemed to come from nowhere. And it forced the Owls to try and be more ambitious to get anything from the game.
Junior Firpo has mixed night for Leeds
But it also seemed to represent a turning point in the contest for Junior Firpo. The left-back had been recalled to the starting lineup for the clash. And he was not at his best in the first-half, nearly landing the side in big trouble at one stage with a misplaced pass back towards the centre-backs.
There is absolutely no question that he grew into the game. And speaking on BBC Radio Leeds, Jon Newsome suggested that his improvement was desperately needed.
“Junior Firpo had a much, much better second-half. But he was woeful at the beginning of the game. Really not very good. Ducking out of headers, and not tracking runners,” he said.
“But like a different player second-half. Really got the bit between his teeth.”
Questions remain despite his superb season
Only three players in the Leeds squad now have more assists than Firpo, who collected his fifth of the season in the win. And it was a stunning cross to find Bamford at the back post.
There is always going to be a sense of concern when it comes to the 27-year-old defensively. And that is perhaps why Leeds have got a tough decision to make on Firpo this summer.
It is fantastic to see how well Firpo has played for a lot of this campaign. Few left-backs in the division would have had the ability to produce that cross that led to Leeds taking the lead.
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