Noel Whelan reacts to Leeds’ defeat to Hull City

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Leeds United suffered their first Championship defeat since November as Hull City left Elland Road with the three points.

Noel Whelan told BBC Radio Leeds that Leeds missed a fantastic opportunity as the league leaders suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat at home at Hull at Elland Road.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were looking for their eighth win in a row in the Championship after stunning comebacks against Aston Villa and Blackburn over Christmas.

And within an hour, it was clear that they were going to need another amazing turnaround if they hoped to extend their winning run, with Jarrod Bowen – who the Daily Mail reported this week was on Leeds’ radar ahead of the January window – scoring either side of the break to make the score 2-0 to the visitors.

Leeds had two efforts cleared off the line, but could not produce the magic that left Villa and Blackburn stunned in stoppage-time, and Hull managed to see the game out and secure a very impressive win.

The Whites remain top of the Championship and Norwich also suffered a defeat. But West Brom have moved slightly closer to Bielsa’s side as a stoppage-time goal saw them secure a draw against Sheffield Wednesday.

And Whelan suggested that Leeds missed a fantastic chance to extend their lead at the top of the table and pull further away from some of the chasing pack.

“It’s definitely a blip. No doubt about that,” he told BBC Radio Leeds. “I think it’s a missed opportunity to get three points at home because we know how important home form is in any kind of campaign.

“But look, these results can happen in the Championship. We know there’s fine lines, with wins and losses and draws but I thought Hull today, were defensively, exceptional. We needed that little bit of luck and we didn’t have it today.”