Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas lose minds over Leeds star v Preston
Leeds United took a huge step towards promotion with a 2-1 win over Preston on Saturday.
The Elland Road clash (12 April) was a tense affair as Jayden Bogle’s 13th-minute strike sealed all three points for the Whites.
Daniel Farke‘s side sit top of the Championship with just four matches left to play until the end of the season and look in pole position for a Premier League berth next season.
Darlow impresses again in crucial Leeds victory
The Whites’ form has drastically improved since Farke dropped Illan Meslier in favour of Karl Darlow before the 1-1 draw with Luton (5 April).
The Welsh international, who’s only played six times all season, kept a clean sheet in the nervy 1-0 win over Middlesbrough (8 April) and was vital again in the victory over Paul Heckingbottom’s side.
Darlow took to Instagram after the contest to send a message, saying: “Huge win! That Elland Road noise.”
Stuart Dallas commented: “Outstanding,” with the raised hands emoji.
Meanwhile, Liam Cooper also reacted, saying: “Bravo Karlos,” with two flame emojis.
Farke’s Leeds decision looks like a masterstroke
The decision to drop Meslier cannot have been an easy one for Farke, in terms of the mental effect it would have had on the French goalkeeper.
However, it was the right move as his errors were costing the Whites on a regular basis and were looking like it would ultimately cost them promotion.
| Stats (Championship) | Meslier | Darlow |
| Matches | 39 | 3 |
| Goals conceded (per 90) | 0.69 | 0.67 |
| Clean sheets (per 90) | 0.54 | 0.33 |
| Pass accuracy | 76.9% | 61.9% |
| Errors leading to goals | 3 | 0 |
Farke has to ensure that his side go up to the top-flight this season, not being promoted is simply not acceptable for the Elland Road faithful, and he would likely lose his job if he fails to deliver a spot in the promised land for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.
Therefore, he had to take the 25-year-old out of the firing line and give the former Newcastle man a chance before Leeds’ chances went up in flames again.
Farke could not risk another playoff debacle after his side were defeated 1-0 in the final last year against Southampton after reaching the 90-point mark in the Championship.
There may be no way back for Meslier in Yorkshire, but right now that is not Farke’s concern; his only focus is getting the Peacocks back to where they belong.