It might have been an excellent night for Leeds United but one ugly head reared itself again in the form of Illan Meslier’s questionable form between the sticks for Daniel Farke’s side.
Illan Meslier has 20 clean sheets in 34 Championship games, conceding just 21 goals. On the face of it, it looks like an immense season for the Frenchman but delve a little deeper and the question marks are big.
Mistakes against the likes of Portsmouth, Sunderland and Preston were followed by his dismal showing at Hull City. A game Leeds should have easily won, but Meslier was partly or entirely at fault for three goals.
Following the 3-3 draw at Hull, Meslier kept six clean sheets in a row before playing a key role in the win over Sunderland. On Monday though, the question marks arose again with a shaky start to the match.
Illan Meslier spotted gesturing after Ao Tanaka put Leeds in front
Meslier endured a torrid first 20 minutes. Flapping at a few crosses and dropping the ball, Ilia Gruev saved his goalkeeper with a stunning goalline clearance. Then, Meslier was guilty of an own goal on 14 minutes.
Tipping a header onto the bar, Tyrese Campbell’s header hit the post and went in off Meslier – the Leeds man unable to react quick enough. However, Leeds went on to win, with Ao Tanaka scoring making it 2-1.
The Mail’s Dominic King was in attendance and he described it as ‘significant’ that Meslier was pointing to the heavens by himself when Tanaka scored header after Pascal Struijk flicked on Joe Rothwell’s corner.
Leeds United need confidence behind the defence going forward
Dominic Matteo recently said that Meslier’s improving form brought the best out of his teammates. It had given them confidence and the ability to trust their goalkeeper, aiding decision making in defence.
But when he makes mistakes, it is the complete opposite. There is a concern among the Leeds defenders, a nervousness that needs to be corrected should Leeds get promoted – from Meslier, or another stopper.
If Leeds do go up and that is looking increasingly likely, then Farke may have to bite the bullet. After his mistakes against Hull, Farke defended Meslier but in the Premier League, he may have to replace him.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
