Leeds United scraped through into the semi-final of the FA Cup after beating West Ham on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
As expected, Daniel Farke fielded a strong Leeds team; however, there were a few notable changes, with Ao Tanaka returning to the starting XI and putting in an incredible midfield performance.
Lukas Nmecha was handed a rare opportunity to lead the line on his own, but the German forward failed to maximise this opportunity and was hooked off for Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 69th minute.
An Elland Road insider also revealed another Leeds player was “bewildered” as he left the pitch against West Ham, following another disappointing display.
Joel Piroe left “bewildered” at full-time of West Ham clash
Piroe, 26, was again snubbed by Farke and left on the bench for the cup tie, before eventually being subbed on in the second half of extra time.
After entering the game at the London Stadium with the score at 2-2, Piroe had little impact on the game, justifying Farke’s decision to leave him out from the start.
The forward was first up for Leeds in the penalty shootout and saw his tame effort saved, but he was ultimately bailed out by Lucas Perri, who made two saves in the shootout.
Graham Smyth revealed that following the full-time whistle, “a bewildered-looking Joel Piroe trudged off in discussion with a club security guy after his penalty shootout blushes were spared by his team-mates,” in an unseen off-camera moment as reported in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
This will only derail Piroe’s confidence further as his season for Leeds goes from bad to worse, with the forward failing to prove the people wrong who doubted his ability to make the transition to playing top-flight opposition.
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Data suggests Joel Piroe was poor against West Ham
During his 15-minute cameo, Piroe did little to convince Farke that leaving him out of the starting XI in favour of Lukas Nmecha was a mistake.
- Piroe’s lack of physicality continues to plague him, with the forward losing all three aerial duels he was involved in
- The only shot he had was the penalty in the shootout, which he missed
- The only cross he attempted in the game was not accurate (Sofascore)
This may be the final nail in the coffin for Piroe, who will likely be shipped out of Elland Road over the summer, as it is clear he isn’t good enough for the Premier League.
His contributions across the two Championship campaigns under Farke will always be remembered, but yesterday was just one more reminder that for both club and player, a parting of ways would be best for all parties involved this summer.
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