Leeds United supporters' plea is answered as key numbers back Daniel Farke's bold lineup decision

The Whites' stand-in 'keeper has one clean sheet to his name from the three matches Leeds have contested since replacing Meslier in the starting lineup, but it is his performances which have eased goalkeeping tensions both on the terraces and seemingly in United's back-line.

Against Preston North End last Saturday, Darlow claimed a deep cross inside his penalty area that was met by an Elland Road roar. Those in the stands, relieved to see the experienced stopper commanding his area, vocalised their satisfaction.

Darlow has not been overtly involved in any of Leeds' fixtures versus Luton Town, Middlesbrough or Preston, but he has at the very least appeared self-assured and composed. Save for one incident last Saturday, for which he was cautioned after overzealously punching clear outside his 18-yard box, the ex-Newcastle United man has been perfectly steady.

It is precisely what Leeds supporters have called for.

Farke made the difficult decision to drop his first-choice goalkeeper earlier this month, following the latest in a string of errors which cost Leeds points. The Frenchman had not performed at the level expected of him, according to Farke, who explained the decision ahead of the trip to Luton.

"The goalkeeper position is not one you change week-to-week like outfield players," Farke said. "Illan had the perfect February with many wins and many clean sheets, but in the last few weeks, there have been a few incidents where we thought he could have done better."

Farke may have been referencing the goalkeeper's display at home to Swansea City, which proved the final straw, but in analysing the 25-year-old's recent performances, was instead perhaps alluding to a prolonged period of below-expectation shot-stopping rather than an individual flashpoint.

On the other hand, since coming into the team Darlow has faced seven shots on target, conceding only two. During Meslier's last three games - in which opponents recorded a shot on target - the Leeds 'keeper conceded five from 13 attempts on goal. While Darlow's performance level is from an admittedly small sample size, there is a slight improvement.

Moreover, the type of shots Darlow has conceded from, have also been different. It would be difficult to level at the 34-year-old he could have done more for Isaiah Jones' back post volley at Luton or Kaine Kesler-Hayden's rasping effort for Preston last weekend.

The xGOT (Expected Goals on Target) of the Preston full-back's strike was a whopping 0.88, which is to say, due to the quality of the shot, Darlow did not stand much chance of saving it - 88 times out of 100, the ball ends up in the back of the net. In recent weeks Meslier was facing shots deemed low xGOT, but conceding from them.

Against Middlesbrough, Leeds undoubtedly benefited from Boro's profligacy but when called upon to deny Delano Burgzorg from close range, United's stand-in delivered, rushing out of goal to close down the angle and saving with his torso.

The same can be said of Darlow preventing Luton's Thelo Aasgaard or Preston's Ben Whiteman from getting on the scoresheet during his recent outings, two shots which had menace but the average goalkeeper would be expected to save.

Over the course of Darlow's three league outings this term, the xGOT he has prevented is +0.56, meaning he has performed slightly above average in the shot-stopping department, albeit from a limited number of games. During Meslier's four most recent outings, in which an opponent registered a shot on target, the xGOT the Frenchman prevented was -2.09. This was a slight but not insignificant deviation from Meslier's season average of -0.40 xGOT prevented, indicating there had been a drop-off in the goalkeeper's performance at a crucial time of the campaign.

The greatest endorsement of Darlow's recent displays, though, is perhaps the response from teammates. Leeds' back four have fed off the goalkeeper's composure and command of his area; the stopper's successful high claims serving as a mental relaxant during especially fraught periods of opposition dominance during games.

What does it mean for the rest of the season?

While three games is insufficient to meaningfully assess Darlow's performance, he has done exactly what was asked of him in becoming Leeds' interim No. 1. He hasn't been flashy, nor has he been a protagonist; he has merely performed at the standard required to allow Leeds the chance to realise their goals.