Former England international goalkeeper Ben Foster has singled out one Leeds United player for sympathy after their heartbreaking defeat against Fulham.
An unfortunate own goal from full-back Gabriel Gudmundsson handed the three points to the side from West London, and left Daniel Farke still searching for answers to his side’s attacking woes.
Leeds face Wolves in a crucial clash at Molineux in their next Premier League fixture, and centre forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin has a point to prove after missing Leeds’ best chance against Fulham.
One player who emerged from the game against Fulham with credit in the bank was goalkeeper Karl Darlow, who stepped in to fill the shoes of the injured Lucas Perri.
Now, Ben Foster has expressed his sympathy to Darlow after Gudmundsson’s freak own goal robbed him of a clean sheet and handed Fulham the points at Craven Cottage.
Ben Foster expresses sympathy for Karl Darlow after Fulham loss
Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, Foster praised Darlow for his performance after deputising for Perri.
According to Foster, Darlow did not deserve to concede a goal seconds after pulling off a world-class save from Fulham’s new signing, Kevin, as the game drew to a close. Foster said: “Karl Darlow came in for Leeds. Obviously, there’s a goalie there [Lucas Perri]. He hasn’t had a great start, to be honest with you.
“I was actually doing a bit of a run on Thursday, we did a half-marathon through Birmingham, and I was running with a Leeds fan, a big Leeds fan, and he said, I think Karl’s going to start on Saturday. I haven’t been impressed with our goalie so far; he just looks a bit shaky and uncertain.
“So Karl came in, obviously they’ve lost the game 1 -0, it’s a brutal way to lose as well. It’s a brutal way to lose. The header from Gudmundsson and I feel for him so badly.
“94th minute as well, out of nothing, out of absolutely nothing. He made a worldie! Top hand. It’s just a brutal way to lose.”
Darlow shows Leeds United can rely on him after difficult cup performance
Leeds fans were justifiably concerned when the news of Perri’s injury broke, as Darlow had struggled on his last start for the club.
Darlow started Leeds’ EFL Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday and was responsible for the Owls’ goal before failing to save any of their penalties as Leeds meekly exited the competition.
However, Darlow was back to his best against Fulham, pulling off two important saves to keep the game at 0-0 as the home side ramped up the pressure on the Leeds goal.
With Perri also expected to miss at least the Wolves game, Darlow needed to show he is capable of performing in the Premier League, four years after his last start. With questions over several players in the Leeds squad, Darlow gave Farke one less headache ahead of the crucial encounter.
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