BBC pundit Rob Staton has blasted one key moment in the Leeds United vs Preston North End game.
Leeds United headed to Preston North End for the early kick off in the Championship this afternoon.
The Whites headed to Deepdale in good form having lost just one of their last 10 in the Championship ahead of kick off today, and on the back of a resounding 4-0 win over Ipswich Town last time out.
After a cagey first half lacking in quality, Illan Meslier was shown a straight red card soon after the restart, and minutes later Preston had the lead through Alan Browne.
Daniel Farke then made a triple change with Wilfried Gnonto, Ilia Gruev, and Mateo Joseph all coming on shortly before the 70th minute, and Leeds looked re-energised.
The Whites were rewarded for the efforts when Pascal Struijk converted a penalty, but a stunning late strike from Liam Millar handed Preston an eventual 2-1 win.
Rob Staton says ‘the sport is done’ after Illan Meslier red card
The defining moment in today’s game was of course the red card for Meslier.
And it was a controversial one too; Meslier came out to collect a cross into the box and after a very mild scuffle between himself and some Preston players, Meslier put his hand into the face of attacker Milutin Osmajic, who went down.
Referee Josh Smith was quick to pull out a red card and send Meslier off.
The decision has been met with a mixed reaction online, though BBC pundit and journalist Staton had this to say on X:
Controversial red card, but Leeds United not at the races
Although Leeds fans and indeed Farke may feel disgruntled at Meslier’s sending off, Leeds weren’t at their best today.
The first half was very open with both teams having their share of the ball, but with neither team really testing the other team’s goalkeeper.
The Whites managed just two shots on target throughout the 90 and although they held their own after going a goal down, they didn’t create enough clear cut chances, and the few that they did create weren’t taken.
And Meslier will no doubt feel like he’s let his teammates down; whether it’s a soft red or not, players simply can’t raise their hands at others, so whether or not the club appeals Meslier’s red remains to be seen.
Up next for Leeds United is a trip to West Brom on Friday night for what is a real crunch match in the race for the Championship play-off places.
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