Luke Ayling ‘always unpopular’ as Leeds United star at centre of incident v Hull City
Lee Hendrie has claimed Luke Ayling is “always unpopular” among away supporters before being left shocked by Adama Traore’s late miss against Leeds United.
Speaking on Sky Sports News (20 September, 9:38 pm), the pundit referred to Ayling’s late substitution where he seemingly gave Hull City fans some stick back following his poor performance in Leeds’ 0-0 draw at the MKM Stadium.
Hendrie’s attention quickly turned to Traore’s shock 89th-minute miss, where the forward’s strike aimed at an open goal hit the crossbar to keep the game level.
Hendrie said: “Luke Ayling’s always unpopular wherever he goes isn’t he, to be honest with you. I think he’s giving the Hull fans a bit.
“But I don’t even want to watch this. This should’ve been 1-0. Have a look at this. I’m just waiting for the net to bulge but how on earth has [Traore] missed that? It’s making me feel… I don’t understand how he missed it. I don’t think he’ll be wanting to watch that again.”
Eventful
This game seemed to have a little bit of everything – except a goal.
Ayling has often been a controversial figure among the Leeds fanbase, but his poor performance tonight has once again left him as the central talking point. Per SofaScore, Ayling produced just one successful long ball (20% success rate) and 68% pass accuracy while losing possession 16 times and no accurate crosses (four attempted) – a night to forget.
Hendrie’s view of Ayling is accurate. The full-back is known for a hard tackle and a hard edge, but he will have to do a lot of convincing on the pitch to help Leeds fans win him back over.
Perhaps Ayling wouldn’t have found himself with so much attention if Traore got his late goal. In a moment that will probably go down as the miss of the season, Traore latched onto an Aaron Connolly pass in the box, leaving Illan Meslier stranded and the Malian the entire goal to aim at.
Rebounding off the right post, Traore will have this moment in his mind all night, perhaps even longer. Daniel Farke got away with one in Hull, and the moment would have been truly unwatchable for any Tigers fan – and Hendrie.
In other Leeds United news, a BBC pundit has gushed over a Whites striker as a Southampton claim emerges.