Noel Whelan praises Felix Wiedwald’s display in Leeds win

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Leeds United moved themselves back into the top six in the Championship with a narrow win.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Noel Whelan has praised Felix Wiedwald’s display during Leeds’ narrow victory over Hull City on Saturday which has moved Thomas Christiansen’s side back into the play-off places in the Championship.

Pablo Hernandez bagged the game’s only goal as he capitalised on Allan McGregor’s mistake just before the half-hour mark and found the back of the net with sumptuous chip.

But it was Wiedwald’s display during the early stages that meant that Hernandez’s goal did prove to be the winner, as the German made a number of excellent saves and generally looked a lot better than the mistake-prone stopper that it looked as though Leeds had signed earlier in the season.

And after the victory, Whelan suggested that it was the kind of performance that will help leave the defenders feeling confident whenever Wiedwald is behind them in future.

“I think the first corner was just to set his stall out. He came out and he punched it. He was aggressive, he was confident in his ability, and he had a couple more shots to save throughout that first-half,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.

“But he seemed a lot more confident in himself, he looked a lot more assured, even distribution, throwing out from his hands into people’s paths, distribution from the floor.

“He commanded his area and that’s exactly what you want as defenders, as a team is that your goalkeeper’s going to come and diffuse any situation and control that six-yard box.”

It is arguably a perfectly-timed mini-spell of form from Wiedwald with the January transfer window just around the corner. The last two performances have suggested that he could well become the Whites’ number one if he sustains that form over a much longer period. But it certainly appears that he may not be far off putting his early season form behind him.