Daniel Farke has been speaking to reporters after Leeds United suffered only a fourth Championship loss of the season to Portsmouth on Sunday – and it is clear to see he was frustrated.
John Mousinho’s side were physical and defensively sound as Colby Bishop scored the only goal of the game, a gorgeous little chip over the on-rushing Illan Meslier that proved to be decisive at Fratton Park.
Leeds had plenty of chances. Joel Piroe missed chances either side of half-time, with Nicolas Schmid producing one of the performances of his short Portsmouth spell. He denied Piroe in the first half.
Then in the second, Piroe blazed over just before Bishop netted for a Pompey side that got better throughout the match. Farke was quizzed about the game and gave his take on two crucial moments.
Daniel Farke cannot believe Leeds United not awarded a penalty
In the first half, Dan James was up-ended by Matt Ritchie when he was about to shoot. Referee Rob Jones though, waved away the protests even though replays showed that Ritchie completely swiped James’ out.
Lucy Ward and Lee Hendrie were gobsmacked that referee Jones – supposedly of Premier League level – missed such a blatant penalty. Farke commented post-match, saying he could not believe it wasn’t given.
“Normally I would back the ref to be in the right spot because at full speed he takes James’ leg. How this isn’t a penalty I don’t know,” Farke told reporters during his post-match press conference after the loss.
Daniel Farke pinpoints who was to blame for Portsmouth goal
With Leeds expected to win, pushing for a win and missing chances, it was inevitable that they would eventually concede. Meslier has not secured a clean sheet for four games now and he was at fault.
That is according to Leeds manager Farke, who told reporters that he felt Meslier could have been off his line a bit quicker. However, the German says he still needs to dissect the goal scored by Portsmouth.
“I haven’t watched it. Illan could have been a bit further from his line. I haven’t had a chance to watch it. We don’t drop quick enough and then he goes 1v1. You can’t let run 1v1 against the GK in that situation.”
Stuart Dallas commented after the game and felt it was Meslier’s fault for hesitating, while Aidy White believes Rodon allowed Bishop to run off him. Leeds are next in action on Wednesday, hosting Millwall.
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