Leeds United were involved in a massive game at Elland Road today.
Noel Whelan has told BBC West Yorkshire Sport that Leeds United’s 2-1 defeat by Wigan Athletic is a ‘massive kick in the teeth’, saying it was a ‘sloppy’ performance by the hosts.
Leeds went into the clash as favourites, but expectancy rose dramatically in the space of three first-half minutes.
Patrick Bamford opened the scoring on 17 minutes, shortly after Cedric Kipre’s red card for the visitors, who were 21st in the table before kickoff.
But the 10-man Latics defied their numerical disadvantage and equalised through Gavin Massey on 44 minutes.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side huffed and puffed for much of the second half but Massey fired Wigan ahead just after the hour mark to give Leeds a big uphill task, despite having 11 men.
United had plenty of chances in the final half-hour but Paul Cook’s side held on for a win that results in Leeds dropping to third, after Sheffield United won 2-0 earlier in the day.
He told BBC West Yorkshire Sport: “They know it’s a massive opportunity gone. You’ve got make that extra man count. You’ve got to be ruthless, grab it by the jugular. We didn’t do that.
“Too many sloppy passes, too many poor performances out there today. Is it nerves or a bad day at the office? Either way it’s a massive kick in the teeth.”
Leeds resume their automatic promotion push on Monday with a trip to Brentford, but it’s advantage Blades now ahead of the final three games.
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