Leeds United defeat leaves Stoke City boss Rowett requiring adjustments

The Potters lured Rowett from Derby and have backed him in the transfer market, bringing in players such as Tom Ince, Benik Afobe and James McClean for big money.

But Stoke were dominated by Leeds yesterday afternoon despite an Afobe penalty and, as a result, Rowett suffered his first defeat at Elland Road as a manager.

“It was a difficult game, we knew it was going to be difficult, but we made it more difficult with the mistakes we made,” he said.

“We didn’t do the basics right defensively.

“If you look at all three goals they were all poor reactions to losing the ball. That was a frustrating thing.

“We all knew a team coming down from the Premier League might find the Championship a different type of challenge. A couple of the players were surprised by the intensity.

“Some of the players did not do their jobs well enough and it was a tough afternoon for us.”

United play Rowett’s former club Derby next Saturday evening at Pride Park.

The Rams, now managed by Frank Lampard, started their season with a last-gasp 2-1 win at Reading on Friday night.

“I don’t want to get carried away because I know it can’t be like this every week. But that moment was fantastic,” said Lampard. “But make no mistake, we didn’t deserve to win the game.”