In an afternoon to forget for Leeds United against a battling Preston North End side, Graham Smyth spotted a second player to blame during the Brad Potts goal that eventually cost Leeds two precious points.
Preston hold Leeds to end impressive run
Sitting second in the Championship and on an impressive run of two defeats in their last six games, many expected Leeds to continue their form up against a Preston side stuck in a mid-table battle with the thought of a place inside the top six merely a fantasy at this stage. But football is never that simple and the Whites soon found themselves in a frustrating encounter despite resucing a point late on.
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Scoring what could be a decisive goal in the automatic promotion race, Potts raced onto the end of Milutin Osmajic’s pinpoint cross to bundle home beyond a disappointed Meslier, whose fumble was not enough to keep Leeds level after just 23 minutes on the clock.
Despite the fact that many were quick to point fingers the way of the disappointed goalkeeper, however, The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Smyth decided to share the blame, highlighting Pascal Struijk’s role in the opening Preston goal.
Despite going top for now, Leeds must turn their attention towards their next chance to bounce back, which will come against Oxford United in a game that Daniel Farke’s side, on paper, should be taking all three points from. As highlighted by Preston, however, anything is possible in England’s second tier.
Whilst there’s still a long way to go, any potential advantage can still prove to be the key to unlocking promotion to the Premier League. And with a four point lead over Burnley, Leeds currently have that advantage. After suffering a frustrating time against Preston, however, there’s now every chance that Burnley find a way past Norwich City and move onto the shoulder of Farke’s side.
It’s once again a game in which Meslier should be questioned too. As much as Smyth was quick to share the blame and also point fingers towards Struijk, there’s a strong argument that the shot-stopper should have kept Potts’ effort out.
It’s not the first time that he has cost Leeds this season, either, having gifted promotion rivals Sunderland a late equaliser back in October. With the January transfer window just a few weeks away, Meslier’s mistakes certainly present Farke with an interesting question to answer.
For the rest of this month at least though, Meslier remains Leeds’ number one and must bounce back at his next opportunity and prove the increasing doubters wrong.
