Illan Meslier will be unable to escape the Leeds United limelight for the next two weeks, but analyst Jon Newsome believes he was not the only one at fault against Sunderland.
Leeds almost won 2-1 away against the Championship title leaders, but a mistake by Meslier lost Daniel Farke’s team three points.
Following their performance at Norwich City on Tuesday night, Leeds were plainly out of their depth in the closing moments at the Stadium of Light, which is why they were content to sit back on their slim lead.
In the 97th minute, Meslier let a bouncing ball by him, resulting in an improbable point for Sunderland.
Junior Firpo, who appeared to be the match-winner for Leeds, was credited with an own goal and was seen screaming down the tunnel at the end.
Jon Newsome says Brenden Aaronson also cost Leeds vs Sunderland
As previously stated, Leeds were content to let Sunderland have the ball after going ahead 2-1, and they did well to minimise the home side’s opportunities.
Having said that, Leeds expended so much energy defending against Sunderland that they were unable to cause much damage on the counter-attack.
During stoppage time, Brenden Aaronson capitalised on a pass from substitute Isaac Schmidt to seal the victory.
Aaronson had plenty of time and space on the outskirts of the area to find one of the corners or Wilfried Gnonto, but his errant attempt cannoned off the defender.
In a post-match interview with BBC Radio Leeds, Newsome believes Aaronson should have made a better decision and prevented Meslier’s blunder.
He stated, “When you look at the game as a whole, and even in the second half, the chance that Brenden Aaronson had near the end, to me it’s a pass.” Simply pass it into the goal or put Willy Gnonto in.
“Little things like that make me feel like we need to be more clinical.” If Leeds want to achieve automatic promotion this season, they must be more clinical at the top end of the pitch when they are on top, controlling the game, and creating chances.”
Aaronson endured worst Leeds game since return
Aaronson has been a breath of fresh air in the number 10 role since his comeback, but last night’s game appeared to go too far.
For the first time this season, Aaronson appeared to struggle with the physicality of the contest.
To be fair, Aaronson is not used to the type of hectic schedule that comes with a three-game Championship week, and considering the amount of distance he travels, it is not surprising that he tires.
Aaronson will not have much time to relax before Leeds’ next game against Sheffield United as he has been named to the USA team.
To make matters worse, the USA plays its second game away in Mexico in the early hours of Wednesday morning, giving him little time to return home, rest, and prepare for a Friday night Yorkshire derby against the Blades.
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