Junior Firpo torn to shreds by Sky Sports man after ‘poor’ moment in Leeds United 5-1 loss v Crystal Palace
Andy Hinchcliffe has torn Junior Firpo to shreds after the Leeds United defender gave away a foul on the stroke of halftime during the Whites’ 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
The left-back brought down Michael Olise moments before the break only for Palace to equalise through Marc Guéhi from the resulting free kick.
Hinchcliffe was extremely critical of the 26-year-old’s decision-making, which allowed Palace a route back into the game.
“That’s such a poor challenge. It’s unnecessary. Just track him and stay with the run, you don’t need to win the ball back,” said Hinchcliffe (Sky Sports, 14:45, 9 April).
“Just stay on your feet, It piles pressure on your team just before halftime.”
Woeful
It was a woeful performance from Leeds in the second half but Firpo’s decision to give away a free kick in a dangerous area allowed Palace a chance to get back into the game. It feels like it is two steps forward and one step back for the 26-year-old. He’s improved of late, but his inconsistency has once again held him back.
There won’t be any knee-jerk decisions made after the defeat to Palace, but it’s certainly a wake-up call for the players and Javi Gracia. Their second-half display was about as bad as we’ve seen all season and the Spaniard now has to muster a reaction out of his players when Liverpool make the trip to West Yorkshire on Monday (17 April).
The Nottingham Forest display is now firmly in the past and with the threat of relegation now firmly back on the cards, Leeds can ill-afford a poor run of form at this point in the season. There will be plenty of twists and turns, but ensuring fewer goals are conceded is a must if Leeds want to avoid returning to the Championship next season.
In other Leeds United news, the decision has been made for the club to splash the cash this summer.