Graham Smyth reveals what Pascal Struijk told him about Meslier howler in Leeds United defeat
Graham Smyth has revealed Pascal Struijk saw the ball take a “wicked spin” before Illan Meslier’s blunder in the Leeds United draw at Sunderland.
The Whites looked to be just seconds away from claiming an important win at the Stadium of Light on Friday 4 October before a horror moment struck for the French shot-stopper.
In the 97th minute, a simple bouncing ball illuded Meslier and dribbled into the back of Leeds’ net, which saw the sides split the points despite Daniel Farke’s side dominating for much of the game.
Speaking via the Inside Elland Road podcast on Thursday (10 October), Smyth said: “I’ve had an explanation from Pascal [Struijk], who was close to it, and he said the ball took a really wicked spin, but he wasn’t really attempting to mollycoddle Meslier.”
Illan Meslier haunted by Leeds United mistake v Sunderland
The best thing for Meslier is for the entire team to put a metaphorical arm around him and keep his confidence up ahead of the crucial clash against Sheffield United following the international break.
With the ability to pull off some stunning saves, the 24-year-old has saved the Whites on several occasions, but fans, understandably, are frustrated with the number of mistakes he seems to make at key moments.
That is just part and parcel of being a young goalkeeper on the big stage, something that Meslier can only learn from as he continues to master his trade between the sticks.
With 37 matches of the Championship campaign remaining, the shot-stopper will have plenty of moments to prove his worth to the Elland Road crowd and put this awful mistake behind him.
He can certainly do that when Farke’s side welcomes Sheffield United, the team sitting second in the Championship and joint on points with leaders Sunderland, to Elland Road on Friday 18 October.
In other Leeds United news, Sky Sports pundits have been slammed after what they said about a “quality” Elland Road star recently.
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