Leeds United fell to back-to-back defeats for the first time this season at West Bromwich Albion on Friday night.
The Whites followed up their Boxing Day disappointment at Preston North End with a frustrating 1-0 loss at the Hawthorns, which has seen them lose ground on not just the top two, but also Southampton.
It was an all too familiar tale for Leeds this season as they struggled to break down a side happy to sit back and defend, with the nature of their attacking having become predictable.
However, Sky Sports commentator Andy Hinchcliffe was full of praise for one Leeds player in Djed Spence live on air, after an ‘incredible’ moment in the first half kept the score at 0-0.
After Karl Darlow had tried but failed to deal with a corner, Spence was on hand, on the line to prevent Cedric Kipre’s shot from finding the net, when he had looked destined to score.
Spence sub a strange one from Farke
He said: “Well the keeper Darlow is absolutely nowhere near this but Djed Spence, incredible reactions on the line. This ball really zips at him, you see he’s not on the line or the post to start with but his reaction, his appreciation of what might happen is brilliant.
“He drops back onto the line, if he doesn’t do that, if he’s not aware of what might happen, his keeper’s in trouble and it’s 1-0 West Brom.”
With around half-an-hour still to play, Daniel Farke opted to replace Spence with Dan James, a substitution which felt strange at the time, and didn’t pay off.
Spence is far more capable of beating a man with trickery than James and against a side defending as deep as West Brom were, that it the sort of thing that is needed.
Farke rotated for the first time in almost two months at the Hawthorns but his choice of substitutions do really leave a lot to desire, at the moment.
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