Leeds United: Neil Redfearn slams ‘shocking’ Illan Meslier for what he did v Sheffield Wednesday
Leeds United goalkeeper Ilan Meslier has been slammed by Neil Redfearn for a “shocking” piece of goalkeeping during the Whites’ clash with Sheffield Wednesday.
Daniel Farke’s side climbed back above Ipswich Town into the automatic promotion places with a 2-0 win over the Owls at Hillsborough on Friday (8 March) thanks to goals either side of halftime from Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto.
However, that lead was nearly halved in the closing exchanges as Meslier struggled to deal with a shot from Djeidi Gassama leaving Ethan Ampadu to clear off the goalline, much to Redfearn’s frustration.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Friday (8 March, 21:36) he said: “That is shocking from Meslier, the goalkeeper. I mean the ball bounces in front of him so it is difficult, but that comes off him and if Smith’s a little bit more alert there, he’s got a tap-in.
“As it is, he still nearly forces the ball over the line but much better from Sheffield Wednesday.”
Can Leeds United win promotion to the Premier League with Illan Meslier?
Friday night was almost the perfect demonstration of just what makes Meslier such a frustrating figure between the posts for Leeds United. The Frenchman pulled off an excellent save in the first half before fluffing his lines in the second.
Luckily for the Whites stopper, Ampadu was on hand to pick up the pieces and clear the ball off of the line to save his blushes. It was tricky given the bounce of the ball, but for a keeper of his level, he should be doing better.
Top clubs both in England and in Europe have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old but that slight wobble in the second half on Friday night showed why they are yet to make a genuine move for him.
Hopefully, Meslier can irradicate those sorts of errors from his game between now and the end of the season, otherwise, he may not be Farke’s number one if Leeds do win promotion to the Premier League this term.
In other Leeds United news, Darren Bent has fired a new promotion jibe at the Whites live on talkSPORT in a Sheffield Wednesday admission
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