Leeds United players looked shell-shocked after they threw away a two-goal advantage in the last ten minutes at the MKM Stadium only to earn a point against Hull City. The Whites were cruising towards a win after a brilliant second-half display but a goalkeeping howler by Illan Meslier helped the home side to pull one back and the Frenchman and his defence failed to clear the ball from a corner to concede a late equaliser to the Tigers. The game ended in a 3-3 draw but for some Leeds fans, it felt like a defeat.
The Yorkshire giants were poor in the first half at the MKM Stadium and could have been more than just a goal down before the break. However, Farke’s men rolled up their sleeves and looked like the side who were leading the Championship standings.
At 3-1, Leeds were cruising towards their third win in a row away from home. However, Meslier’s howler opened the door for the Hull comeback journey and the Tigers piled on the pressure in the final ten minutes to get a point at home.
The result will hurt the Leeds players for a long time but more importantly, some faultlines in the Leeds defence were exposed by a team who are likely to fight to just survive in the Championship this season.
Meslier’s howler brought the scanner back on him and the narrative of Leeds needing a new goalkeeper in the winter window has been given a new lifeforce following his performance at Hull.
However, the reaction of the Leeds players following the goalkeeper’s bad mistake should worry Farke more than the two points dropped against the Tigers.
Daniel Farke will have to work hard to keep the spirits high at Leeds United
The Leeds United boss places special emphasis on the harmony inside the squad, which is one of the reasons why he is reluctant to bring in a new face or two in the winter window.
Farke wants his squad to remain united and in good spirits as Leeds are again part of a very tight race for automatic promotion to the Premier League this season.
Their lead at the top of the table has been cut to just one point and only two points separate them from fourth-place Sunderland who are also emerging as strong contenders for promotion.
However, the Leeds boss must be more worried about the reaction of some of his players once Meslier made the mistake of allowing Hull a foot in the game.
A short video has emerged on social media that showed a few Leeds players looking visibly frustrated at the Frenchman and making their feelings clear to him.
Joe Rodon is seen shouting at Meslier after Hull’s second goal went in and Joel Piroe and Joe Rothwell looked visibly annoyed and frustrated at the Leeds goalkeeper’s mistake.
It could be seen as a tell-tell sign of the Leeds players gradually losing faith in their number-one goalkeeper, which would be a huge problem for Farke.
Can the Leeds defence trust Meslier again?
Meslier and the Leeds defenders have formed a strong unit this season despite the Frenchman’s occasional inconsistencies. However, some feel the Hull performance could be the last straw for some of the players.
The reaction of the Leeds stars showed that they were frustrated with what they had seen from Meslier this season and something changed at Hull.
The trust between a goalkeeper and his defence is essential to ensure that the whole defensive unity is working in sync. But it seems that trust could be missing between the Leeds shot-stopper and their defenders.
Leeds have been urged to sign a new goalkeeper and some shot-stoppers in the Premier League could be open to a move in the winter window.
However, changing the number one in the middle of the season is the kind of disruption Farke often likes to avoid and it is unlikely that Leeds will sign a new goalkeeper.
The Leeds boss has to work hard in the training ground to ensure that the defenders and the goalkeeper again find the level of trust that will keep things tight at the back for the rest of the season.
Leeds need Meslier to find his best form soon as they need their number one to be on top of his game for the promotion battle.
