I saw Leeds United players' reaction to Illan Meslier howler vs Hull - they must be wary of one thing

David Prutton has urged Leeds United to be wary of the promotion pressure which has so often affected them during the second-half of previous campaigns after witnessing Illan Meslier’s nightmare day at Hull City.

Leeds kicked off 2025 as the Championship’s leading side and despite twice dropping points late on, remain there going into the FA Cup third round weekend. But the gap to Burnley and Sheffield United sits at just one point and that could so easily have been more, with a two-goal lead at Hull inexplicably thrown away to draw 3-3 on Saturday.

Daniel Farke’s side were 3-1 up as the clock ticked beyond 80 minutes, with Ao Tanaka’s wonderful effort laying the foundation for a clinical second-half comeback in which Dan James and Joel Piroe looked to end the contest. But Illan Meslier then fumbled a looping header at the feet of Joao Pedro before failing to clear a corner that was eventually turned in by Abu Kamara.

Leeds promotion pressure

Leeds can look back on a historically tricky festive schedule with encouragement, having gone eight unbeaten to keep their place at the Championship’s summit. But Prutton has warned against taking that for granted, with pressure set to only increase from now onwards.

“Ao Tanaka, what a wonderful player he's been for Leeds,” Prutton told Sky Sports, reflecting on Saturday’s dramatic draw. “There was a lot made of Ethan Ampadu being out but between himself and Joe Rothwell, the middle of the park has been absolutely nailed down between those two while Ethan was coming back and he's now obviously a big part in and amongst the starting-XI.

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“But at the other end, we saw the reaction of the Leeds United players from Ilan Meslier not covering himself in glory. Occasionally, the goalkeeper has that which if you're a defender… the likes of Joe Rodon looking on, you can see his frustration with the goalkeeper. A very straightforward catch which gets City back into the game.

“From Leeds’ point of view, they were the bookies’ favourites before a ball was kicked, they'll still be the bookies’ favourites now, what they haven't done historically is deal with that pressure. Getting to 90 points and not going up automatically, not getting through the play-offs, that in the second-half of the season is what they have to be wary of.”

Key to Premier League survival

Leeds remain well fancied to win promotion at the second time of asking, despite a couple of poor recent results, but 49ers Enterprises have plans that reach beyond a return to the top-flight. The American group are keen to avoid the mistakes of previous owners to ensure Premier League football is a regular occurrence in West Yorkshire, rather than a fleeting return.

Many Championship managers have claimed Leeds to have a handful of ready-made Premier League players already in their squad but should Farke’s side finish in the top-two - or enjoy play-off glory - then summer 2025 will need to be busy. Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Brighton are recent examples of promoted sides building well and Prutton insists early transfer focus needs to be on two key areas.

“Broadly, there is a semblance that the Championship last season was marginally stronger,” the former Whites midfielder added. “I think that's a tad disrespectful to the teams at the top at the moment in Leeds, Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland. They're teams who are extremely good at this level but for the three that go up, I would say recruitment will be crucial.

“There are historic reasons why these clubs could go up and stay up. Fundamentally, I think most of the squads will need serious money put into them. The players who get them up do deserve a chance to show if they can evolve into premier league pliers, but you need Premier League experience. Above all you need solidarity at the back, and you need a goalscorer.”