Leeds United lost 1-0 away at Arsenal on Monday night.
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has told Leeds Live that he thought Illan Meslier turned in a ‘great performance’ against Arsenal on Monday night.
The Whites put in a superb display at the Emirates Stadium as they took on the Gunners in the third round of the FA Cup, but ultimately lost out.
Reiss Nelson’s second half goal proved to be the winner, bundling the ball home from close range after Alexandre Lacazette’s cross was deflected.
Leeds will look back on the night as a missed opportunity, having created a whole host of opportunities in the first half but failed to score.
A number of Leeds players impressed throughout, and one of them was goalkeeper Meslier, who came in for Kiko Casilla in a big test for the Frenchman.
The summer signing from Lorient was making his long-awaited debut for Leeds, and he turned in a superb display, both in terms of his goalkeeping and his ability to play out from the back.
Meslier, 19, will likely drop back out of the side for Casilla, but this display will give Leeds confidence that the loanee is a real talent – and may tempt them into making his deal permanent.
After the game, Bielsa admitted that he thought Meslier was ‘great’, and whilst it was a tough decision to give him a start, Bielsa was hugely impressed with his goalkeeping ability and his technical qualities.
“It was a great performance from him. It was a hard decision to take,” said Bielsa. “And Marcos Abad, our goalkeeper coach, he understood that the decision was Meslier played tonight. And even if he hadn’t played well, all is going to be the same for him.
“The way he played is very positive for us looking at the future because when the team controlled the match he managed the ball well and when the team was controlled by the opponent he offered good, top level answers,” he added.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
