Leeds United missed out on another opportunity to widen the gap between themselves and the relegation zone this afternoon after a third consecutive defeat.
The Whites put on yet another uninspiring performance against Fulham which has left them in a troubling position in the Premier League table with only six games left to secure survival as they seek to avoid dropping back into the Championship next season.
Despite equaling their hosts for possession and created big chances, Leeds had fewer shots on target (2 v 5), marginally fewer accurate passes completed (278 v 279) and fewer dribbles completed (16 v 5), which was a sign of the lack of fight the team brought to the game.
The clash on Thameside started extremely slowly with neither team looking like they were prepared to threaten in the final third. However, in the second half, Leeds again found themselves punished for their poor defensive displays.
Illan Meslier would have surely gone into this clash with his confidence knocked by the 6-1 defeat to Liverpool earlier in the week, and that pressure boiled over when his fumble in the box helped Fulham take the lead with a goal from Harry Wilson in the 58thminute.
The Cottagers quickly doubled their lead when Andreas Pereira’s strike hit the back of the net, however, a glimmer of hope was handed to the visitors when Patrick Bamford’s scramble in front of the Fulham goal deflected off Joao Palhinha in the 79th minute.
Unfortunately, Leeds just didn’t have enough time or quality in the final third to salvage a point, and at the final whistle, they left west London with nothing to show for it.
How did Robin Koch get on vs Fulham?
Koch had a performance he will want to forget quickly against Fulham as he was a complete liability.
Over his 90-minute display, the £40k-per-week gem – recently hailed as “solid” by journalist Beren Cross – lost possession of the ball 13 times, won only one of his ground duels and failed to complete five of his long ball attempts, as well as being dribbled past three times.
Leeds have now considered a whopping 18 goals in April alone, which is a reflection of their inept defensive displays over the past few weeks, and Javi Gracia will need to find a very quick solution to stop the massive leak in their backline from spilling over into the upcoming fixtures.
Although, Koch has probably done enough over the season to retain his position at centre-back for the foreseeable future, however, something must change if Leeds want to retain their Premier League status.