Leeds United 0 Brighton 1: YEP Jury deliver their verdicts

Our panel of fans were not happy with Leeds United’s performance against relegation-threatened Brighton on Saturday. Here’s what they made of the match:
Jack Harrison and Pablo Hernandez take on Brighton's Ben White.
 Picture Bruce Rollinson.Jack Harrison and Pablo Hernandez take on Brighton's Ben White.
 Picture Bruce Rollinson.
Jack Harrison and Pablo Hernandez take on Brighton's Ben White. Picture Bruce Rollinson.

DAVID WATKINS

This was the performance every Leeds fan dreaded and yet one we all knew was in our make-up to produce at this time of year.

As with most seasons in our more recent history, the games immediately after the third round of the FA Cup generally see us falter.

Tyler Roberts' shot is saved by Robert Sanchez. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.Tyler Roberts' shot is saved by Robert Sanchez. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.
Tyler Roberts' shot is saved by Robert Sanchez. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.
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Once again, despite half the side being rested for the cup game, it was Brighten, ‘fresh’ from their midweek exertions against Manchester City that looked the sharpest.

Once again. I think we can see that it’s momentum and playing football that is more beneficial than being rested.

Brighton came up with one moment of brilliance on a pitch that worked against such moments while for our part we just never looked settled, least not until the final 20 minutes or so when most of our players went back to their regular positions.

With Hernandez on the pitch we were able to move Ayling to the right, Struijk to the centre and Dallas to the left of the back-line while Matty Klich slotted into the Kalvin Phillips role.

Marcelo Bielsa on the sidelines on Saturday.
 Picture: Bruce Rollinson.Marcelo Bielsa on the sidelines on Saturday.
 Picture: Bruce Rollinson.
Marcelo Bielsa on the sidelines on Saturday. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.
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All of that seemed to work much better than how we started but it was too late.

A miserable result that starts to heap pressure on us to find a result next time out. Ten days to find our mojo again.

Man of the match: Liam Cooper.

MATTHEW EVANS

Kiko Casilla saves from Alexis MacAllister. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.Kiko Casilla saves from Alexis MacAllister. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.
Kiko Casilla saves from Alexis MacAllister. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.

Another grim performance and result to match the grey, January lockdown skies above Elland Road.

Hot on the heels of our worst performance of the season (full stop) at Crawley Town came our worst performance of the season in the league.

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Brighton are the first side to beat us that had no right to do so.

They came to Elland Road, set up as the inferior side looking to nick a win and nick a win they did.

Brighton goal scorer Neal Maupay holds off Pascal Struijk.
Picture: Bruce Rollinson.Brighton goal scorer Neal Maupay holds off Pascal Struijk.
Picture: Bruce Rollinson.
Brighton goal scorer Neal Maupay holds off Pascal Struijk. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.

We can make excuses all we like, whether it’s about the state of the pitch or our injury woes, but for the second week in a row we had an XI capable of winning the game who failed to show up.

A 10-day rest with Phillips and Meslier returning for a winnable game at Newcastle, a chance to get Llorente up to speed and us playing away from Elland Road’s boggy mess lends us hope that things can get better.

Man of the match: Liam Cooper.

JACOB STARR

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Good grief, after the Crawley game you would have thought the players would have been eager to put things right.

However, that theory was clearly me being in dreamland based on that woeful display against Brighton.

I’m not even being funny, but that display was probably just as bad as the lacklustre FA Cup attempt, and to make matters worse, Ben White was easily the best player on the pitch

The only goal of the game came via Neal Maupay inside 20 minutes, and the visitors remained pretty comfortable for the remainder of the match, with Leeds creating little to no clear-cut chances.

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We’ve now failed to find the back of the net in the last 288 minutes of action, and the fact Patrick Bamford and Mateusz Klich looked completely lost against the Seasiders, clearly impacted our attacking threat.

That was the away side’s first win in 10 games, but you wouldn’t have guessed that from the contest.

A combination of Brighton’s solidity and Leeds’ soft centre ultimately contributed to the final result.

Somehow, I’ve not even mentioned the fact Kiko Casilla started in the absence of Illan Meslier due to ‘illness’.

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It must be bad if the topic of conversation after a loss isn’t a goalkeeping error.

Man of the match: Jack Harrison.

KEITH INGHAM

Leeds missed an excellent chance to extend the distance between themselves and their opponents Brighton on Saturday.

Fans watching on their TVs might have been expecting a good response after the humiliation at Crawley and must have been disappointed as Leeds lost 1-0 at a muddy Elland Road.

The goal that won the game was a really good move that ended with a regular thorn in Leeds’ side, Neal Maupay stood all alone to put it into the empty Leeds net.

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Luke Ayling was guilty of losing the striker as the ball was played across the box.

To be honest United were pretty poor and to give them any credit would be generous.

Rodrigo did have a chance when Alioski’s fine ball from the left wing found him just outside the six-yard box, but unfortunately the ball went wide.

It must be said the pitch at Elland Road is like a ‘turnip field’ but it’s the same for both sides and without a doubt Brighton adapted to the poor playing surface better than Leeds.

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Ben White nearly made it a dream return for him, but his first-half goal-bound shot was blocked by his ex-team-mate Luke Ayling.

The ex-Leeds loanee had an excellent game for Brighton.

Leeds upped their efforts in the second half but the Brighton defence marshalled by Dunk kept their efforts at bay.

I can’t put my finger on what is wrong, the pitch is a joke and it nullifies Leeds’ quick movement and confidence seems to be at it’s lowest ebb this season.

It also has to be said that a few of the players on duty didn’t seem to be ‘at it’ against Crawley and Brighton.

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Maybe a few days off might benefit Bielsa’s troops but I doubt they will get any respite, despite it being 10 days until they play Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

Men of the match: Dunk and Webster for Brighton.

ANDY RHODES

What is it with Leeds United and January? There’s something about the turn of the year that sees United’s form spin into a nosedive.

The last league defeat against Tottenham might have been expected but a home loss to relegation-threatened Brighton was not. Like in the last two games, Leeds failed to create many good opportunities in front of goal and, without the suspended Kalvin Phillips, United were always going to lack their usual dominance.

Pascal Struijk didn’t make many individual errors, but the likes of Alexis MacAllister, Leandro Trossard and Ben White were given the freedom of the Elland Road pitch throughout the game.

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United’s lack of control was reflected in their attacking play, with Patrick Bamford feeding off scraps and, ultimately, he was no more than a passenger.

Jack Harrison looked most likely to hurt the visitors but it wasn’t to be and Leeds slipped to another narrow home defeat.

With 10 days until the next league game, there is time to reset.

Man of the match: Jack Harrison.

MIKE GILL

When it was announced that Kiko Casilla was selected for United all the social media character assassins came out in force. However this defeat had little to do with the controversial Spaniard.

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Leeds struggled to get going in the first half and only Rodrigo came anywhere near as he failed to connect with an Alioski cross with a gaping goal mouth in front of him.

Of course Leeds were made to pay the price. Luke Ayling made an uncharacteristic slip in the box leaving Neil Maupay the simple task of smashing the ball into an empty net.

Trossard hit the top side of the post with a deflected cross but that was pretty well it from Brighton.

The Whites looked more like themselves in the second half as Tyler Roberts and Pablo Hernandez brought flair and aggression to their attack and Pascal Struijk certainly looked more comfortable in defence than in the Phillips role.

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As the clock ran down, it became clear that United weren’t going to break the Brighton defence. One of those days.

Man of the match: Liam Cooper.

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