Leeds United beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 this evening.
Leeds United manager Garry Monk
Leeds United manager Garry Monk has told BBC Radio Leeds that he dropped Pontus Jansson in favour of Liam Cooper because he felt it was the best move for the team.
The Whites hosted promotion-chasing Brighton and Hove Albion this evening, and having seen Newcastle draw 0-0 away at Birmingham City, Leeds knew that a win would close the gap to the top two.
That’s exactly what they got, as Chris Wood put Leeds in front in the second half, scoring with a looping header from Charlie Taylor’s strong run and cross down the left.
Wood then stepped up to grab his second from the penalty spot after Fikayo Tomori had brought down Souleymane Doukara inside the area, handing Leeds all three points.
It was a strong win for Leeds and a victory that all but seals their play-off place, but fans were left confused by the shock omission of centre back Pontus Jansson against the Seagulls.
Jansson, 26, has been one of Leeds’ star players since arriving on loan from Torino last summer, with his performances leading to the Whites agreeing a permanent deal for the Swede at the end of the season.
Pontus Jansson of Leeds United
Despite forming a strong centre back partnership with Kyle Bartley, Jansson was surprisingly left on the bench against Brighton, with Monk instead choosing Liam Cooper as Bartley’s partner.
Leeds fans are worried that Jansson has fallen out with Monk or a team-mate, and the Leeds boss did little to play down speculation, as he told BBC Radio Leeds after the final whistle that he made a change to ‘put the group first’ and to adhere to his principles in what was a shock move from Monk.
“I will always put the group first, and I try and make my selections on the team based on the setup and principles that we adhere to,” said Monk. “You’ve seen in the past, many times, that I’ll make changes if I feel it’s best for the group, and I’ve done it throughout the season – whether that be tactically, through suspension, through injuries or whether it’s just that I feel that that’s what that game needs. I will always make decisions on what is best for the group, and tonight, that happened to be one of the decisions,” he added.
Do you think Leeds missed Jansson against Brighton?
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