Leeds United showed enough strength this season to beat champions Arsenal 2-1 on Saturday.
Arsenal ripped apart Leeds 5-0 at the Emirates last season, but this time the performance from the away side was very different, and an upset was on the cards early in the second half when James Justin.
Mikel Arteta’s team showed why they are the champions, with Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimaraes scoring to secure all three points.
Leeds have reason to believe they could have earned a point, and one Leeds player is under fire after a moment that changed the game at the Emirates.
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James Trafford gets torn apart live on talkSPORT
He is the club’s record signing, and until yesterday, his performances showed why Leeds invested heavily in him during last summer’s transfer window.
However, the Leeds goalkeeper should have done more to prevent Calafiori’s equaliser, which turned the tide in Arsenal’s favour at the Emirates.
The England man got both hands to it, and Daniel Farke admitted after the game that, on a better day, Trafford would have tipped it over the bar.
However, on Saturday, he didn’t do enough and the ball nestled into the back of the net.
Ally McCoist, on TNT Sports commentary, conceded the goalkeeper should have done more, but Stuart Pearce was harsher on talkSPORT.
The former Manchester City manager called Trafford ‘chocolate wrists’ for failing to keep the ball out.
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He has been far too good this season
James Trafford will be disappointed with his part in Arsenal’s equaliser, and rightly so. But it would be a mistake to let one poor moment overshadow the good work he has done since arriving at Leeds United.
Goalkeepers are always judged harshly because their errors tend to end up on the scoresheet. That does not mean everything they have done before suddenly counts for nothing. Trafford has shown why Leeds can trust him, and one error against a side of Arsenal’s quality should not erase those contributions.
The real test is how he responds. Every goalkeeper makes mistakes, and Trafford will need to put this one behind him quickly. Leeds have bigger concerns than dwelling on a single error, and they need their goalkeeper confident and focused.
He has earned the chance to move on, put things right and remind everyone why he matters to this team.
