Sky Sports pundit blasts ‘disgraceful’ Leeds player after defeat to QPR

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Kalvin Phillips will now miss the next three games for Leeds United.

Danny Higginbotham has blasted Kalvin Phillips for his ‘disgraceful’ challenge during Leeds United’s 1-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, as he claimed that he’s ‘seen it before’ from the midfielder.

Phillips was sent off late in the second half for a reckless and dangerous high tackle on Geoff Cameron, with Leeds United’s trip to London going from bad to worse.

It now means that Phillips will miss Leeds’ next three fixtures, which doesn’t help Marcelo Bielsa’s cause because his team have already been on a bad run of form.

Speaking to Sky Sports Football during his commentary stint (18/01/20), Higginbotham didn’t hold back in slamming Phillips for his actions and the senior referee for then showing a yellow card to Cameron for his reaction to the Phillips tackle.

“We have seen it before,” Higginbotham told Sky Sports. “He makes a challenge and there are no excuses for it. It’s a horrific challenge. Absolutely disgraceful challenge.

“Phillips knows [as soon as he gets up]. That’s awful. It gets worse every time you see it. When he gets up after being given the red card he goes over to Geoff Cameron to apologise. And quite rightly so, Cameron is having none of it. That’s a horrific challenge. The only saving grace is Cameron is alright.

“That could have caused a really bad injury. We don’t want to see that on the field. It’s a red card and you get on with it. You see Cameron’s reaction, he’s absolutely furious because it’s a challenge every time you see it, it gets worse and worse – I don’t get that [booking Cameron]. He has every right to act the way he has acted and to get a yellow card for it? I don’t think anyone is going to accept the challenge they have just had on them. Poor!”

This is where Leeds will be tested both on the pitch and from a mental standpoint because the pressure is really on them now.

The play-off chasing pack are closing the gap on the Championship’s top-two and if Leeds continue to drop points then they will then drop outside of the automatic places.

But another headache for Bielsa to deal with now is who will replace Phillips in the middle of the park because he doesn’t have an obvious replacement for their main man in the midfield.