Jamie Carragher has hailed Joe Gelhardt after the Leeds United talent made a huge impact against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
Leeds needed to get something, anything out of Sunday’s home game against Brighton.
You usually hope for the final home game of the season to be either celebratory or at least carefree.
Sadly, Leeds couldn’t really do either of those as sheer tension took over against the Seagulls.
Danny Welbeck’s chip put Brighton ahead and it looked like the Whites were heading towards another defeat.
Yet in the dying stages of the game, Gelhardt produced a stunning moment.
After ghosting past Marc Cucurella, Gelhardt sat Lewis Dunk down and then dinked the ball over him.
Gelhardt sent the ball into the back post and there was Pascal Struijk to head home, sending Elland Road wild.
A 1-1 draw doesn’t save Leeds but it gives them hope of staying up on the final day of the season.
Jamie Carragher has hailed Joe Gelhardt
This was just Gelhardt’s fourth Premier League start of the season, which may surprise some.
The 20-year-old has been a livewire whenever given a chance this season, bagging two goals and two assists in the Premier League.
Signed for just £700,000 rising to £1.6million in 2020, Gelhardt was plucked from a Wigan side who were struggling financially.
Gelhardt was being backed for a great future but has been forced to be patient at Leeds.
Gelhardt certainly deserves to be playing regularly now and his moment of magic against Brighton proved that.
One man who has been backing Gelhardt for a while now is Jamie Carragher.
Gelhardt was in the Wigan ranks with Carragher’s son James and the pundit has hailed him in recent times.
For instance, Carragher indicated in November that Leeds had secured a bargain by snatching Gelhardt from Wigan.
Carragher again praised Gelhardt whilst speaking on Sky Sports Monday Night Football (16/05, 7:20pm).
Carragher suggested that Carragher is a ‘special talent’ having seen his ‘absolutely fantastic’ piece of skill against Brighton.
The former Liverpool man clearly believes in Gelhardt and will now hope to see more magic from him in the weeks, months and years to come.
“This skill is absolutely fantastic,” said Carragher. “I’ve seen this lad do it before. He’s got it in his locker, I’ve seen that lad since he was 12 years of age, he’s a special talent,” he added.
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