Sue Smith has slammed Illan Meslier for his role in Andreas Pereira scoring for Fulham against Leeds United. The Sky Sports pundit claims the goalkeeper ‘has to do better’.
Pereira gave Marco Silva’s team a two-goal lead 72 minutes into Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Javi Gracia’s squad. Harry Wilson (58’) had broken the deadlock earlier on in the second half. While Patrick Bamford (79’) responded to keep the Whites in the meeting.
Wilson gave Fulham the advantage after Meslier failed to handle Willian’s cross. The France U21 goalkeeper flapped at the Brazilian’s delivery and let it fall to Wilson to ripple the roof of the net. The winger fired his effort in off the crossbar to punish the shot-stopper’s mistake.
Fulham took advantage of two mistakes from Meslier vs Leeds
Meslier’s torrid time would soon continue as Pereira stretched Fulham’s advantage against Leeds. The midfielder moved the ball onto Antonee Robinson. But he continued his run to be in the perfect position to punish the Frenchman, who would only parry the full-back’s cross.
Pereira had only scored one goal through his previous 16 Premier League appearances up until Fulham hosted Meslier and Leeds. While the 27-year-old’s attempt marked his fourth goal from 31 outings. He had also always been on the losing side after scoring this season.
Smith slams Meslier for the goalkeeper’s error at Craven Cottage
Meslier, meanwhile, arrived at Fulham having failed to keep a clean sheet in his previous seven Premier League appearances. The Lorient-born shot-stopper had also conceded 60 goals through his 31 top-flight matches before facing the Cottagers to five clean sheets.
Gracia would have fumed at the manner in which Meslier allowed Wilson and Pereira to further tarnish the Leeds goalie’s record at Fulham. While Smith stated her belief that the £5m permanent arrival from FC Lorient in July 2020 should not have given Pereira a sight.
“It’s Pereira with the goal,” Smith said on Sky Sports News (22/04, 14:04). “Leeds commit men forward and it’s so easy for Fulham to break on them. Pereira starts it off centrally driving, plays the ball out to the left-hand side to Robinson. He gets a delivery into the box.
“Meslier has to do better. He’s got to either collect it or to palm it away from danger. He just palms it straight into Pereira, who’d continued his run and it’s a tap-in for him.”
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