Leeds United star told he is not Paolo Maldini by Chris Sutton in stinging assessment after incident on Friday night at Sunderland

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Friday night’s drama is still fresh in the minds of Leeds United fans and players as The Whites came within a few seconds of picking up a brilliant win away at Sunderland.

But this is Leeds we are talking about, and with a few seconds of injury time to play, Illan Meslier some how managed to fumble an Alan Browne clearance that deflected slightly off the head of Junior Firpo.

An abysmal mistake that has been discussed at length by fans and pundits since. Leeds defender Pascal Struijk deflected criticism on Meslier by blaming the pitch, while Jermaine Beckford defended Meslier.

But it was a catastrophic error, a once-in-a-career kind of mistake that will haunt Meslier for years. One that is likely to be seen time after time on social media, but more importantly it cost Leeds two points.

In the immediate aftermath after the full-time whistle, Firpo stormed down the Sunderland tunnel. The left-back was fuming that he had actually not scored the winner but instead, Leeds only won a point.

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Chris Sutton launches stinging criticism of Leeds man Junior Firpo

There are two points of view to Firpo’s outrage. Some understand it, given that Meslier has been the source of criticism for a number of seasons and it shows just how much the left-back cares about Leeds.

But, others feel Firpo should have joined some of his other Leeds teammates in consoling Meslier. Some have suggested Firpo was angry as Meslier was laughing and joking with Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris.

Chris Sutton falls largely on the side of criticism for Firpo. He told BBC Radio 5 Live’s 606 on Saturday evening that Firpo is “not a good teammate” and has seen him make many mistakes over the years.

“Junior Firpo was really unhappy and stormed down the tunnel. Not a good teammate. I didn’t realise Firpo is [Paolo] Maldini. I’ve seen him make plenty of mistakes. I would’ve given the goalkeeper a hug.”

Illan Meslier still has five clean sheets in nine league games

Many have called for Meslier to be dropped and to give Karl Darlow a run out. But fans must remember that the grass is not always greener and Meslier’s form this season has actually been pretty good.

At this level, there aren’t any better goalkeepers with their feet even if Meslier’s passing does annoy Joe Rodon on occasion. In terms of his shot-stopping, it could be better, but he is a super option for Leeds.

Leeds are not going to get a better goalkeeper while in the Championship and if promoted, then perhaps a replacement is key. But Daniel Farke has made him a vice captain and he will remain between the sticks.