Ben White feels Leeds United deserved better against Sheffield Wednesday as defender predicts more twists and turns in Premier League push

Leeds created another host of goalscoring opportunities in the first half of the Elland Road clash against the Owls yet entered the half-time break with the score goalless.

As United pushed for a winner, Jacob Murphy then netted on the counter attack to put Garry Monk’s side 1-0 up with three minutes remaining and Atdhe Nuhiu then bagged another in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The defeat saw United’s cushion in the Championship’s automatic promotion spots slashed from nine points to six as third-placed Brentford won a third game in a row through a 3-1 success at home to Queens Park Rangers who Leeds visit next Saturday lunch-time.

Fourth-placed Nottingham Forest will cut the gap to five points if winning their game in hand at home to Reading a week on January 22 but White said Leeds were not looking at the gap and deserved at least a point against the Owls.

The loss came five days after the Whites had impressed with a superb performance in Monday’s third round FA Cup clash at Arsenal in which United again paid the price for missing chances en route to a 1-0 defeat.

Asked if Leeds had deserved more against the Owls, White reasoned: “Yes, especially in the first half. I think we should have scored a couple of goals and then the game goes differently.

“But we didn’t and they did in the second half.

“I think we played well in the first half. I think we deserved to get something from the game on our first half display.

“Obviously we did well against Arsenal and we have played like that before against a Championship side but it’s not as big because it’s not against a big side. We will just keep going.”

Leeds dominated possession with 67 per cent and 14 shots on goal of which five were on target with the Owls mustering ten attempts and just two on target.

But United’s defence were posed a very different threat from midway through the second half when Monk brought on six-foot-five Kosovo international Nuhiu for Sam Winnall.

“He’s a big lump isn’t he?” said White.

“It’s difficult to play against but it’s part of what they were going to do.

“They were obviously going to bring him on if they were nil nil and we should have been ready for that.”

But Leeds conceded twice in the closing stages to fall to just a second defeat in the last 16 league games with a gap that stood at double figures back to the chasing pack outside of the top two now down to six points.

Leeds were no bigger than 1-12 to seal an automatic promotion place approaching Saturday’s clash against the Owls but those odds have now been halved to 1-7.

White, though, is keeping calm and composed and showing no signs of panic.

“There’s a lot of games to go,” said the Brighton loanee centre-back.

“There’s 19 games left and whether the gap is six points, nine points or 12 points, it’s all the same really because you can slip up or do well.

“We are just taking every game as it comes and trying to get the maximum points that we can on the day.

“I think our aim is to just take every game as it comes, try and get the three points when we can and just pick up as many points as we can until the end of the season.”

Reflecting on the feelings in the dressing room, White admitted: “Losing is never nice. But we will pick ourselves up and go again this week and looking for the three points.

“Obviously losing any game is not nice and it’s what we want. We will pick ourselves up and go again.

“I’m sure there will be more twists and turns.

“It’s never easy, it never goes exactly how you want it and I am sure there will be games where we don’t pick up the points that we want.

“Overall I think we will just keep going and do as well as we can.”