Leeds goalkeeper apologises to fans after incident before kick-off v Luton
Leeds United slipped further away from their automatic promotion hopes on Saturday after taking just a point from Luton Town.
Daniel Farke’s poor run of form continued and with Burnley winning, the Whites have dropped to third in the table.
Farke’s men are now without a win in three games and will be heading to Middlesborough on Tuesday (8 April) with plenty of pressure.
Leeds United goalkeeper makes a blunder
Farke has put together a fairly strong squad who have performed throughout the season so far which makes their drop in form even more disappointing.
One area where Leeds have been let down though is at the back of the pitch with Illan Meslier having come under fire for making far too many mistakes this season.
As a result of the goalkeeper’s poor form, the boss brought Karl Darlow into the starting line-up to face Luton.
Darlow certainly didn’t make any blunders but after dropping another two points, it’s no surprise to see reports that Farke is already looking at new goalkeeping targets for next season.
One moment from Alex Cairns before kick-off against Luton perhaps summed up Leeds’ recent run and put to bed any thoughts of him being the next to get called up.
Writing in the Yorkshire Evening Post (6 April), Graham Smyth shared a moment that wasn’t caught on the cameras as he wrote: “[Alex] Cairns sending a shot over the bar and into the Leeds fans during the warm-up before raising an apologetic hand.
“Tanaka did the same twice in quick succession but offered no apology as fitness coach Chris Domogalla shot him a look. A stray shot into the stand behind the goal led to an unfortunate injury and a trip to hospital for one Leeds fan.”
Farke has to raise Leeds’ standards again
Although Leeds’ end of season form is often used as a jokey jibe from others against them, there must be concerns inside Elland Road that they may be running out of steam at the wrong time.
It’s all well and good Farke looking ahead to next season but their transfer targets will be wildly different if they do not achieve promotion to the top flight.
It is not the time to panic in West Yorkshire given there are just two points separating Burnley at the top of the table and the Whites in third but Farke’s men certainly can’t afford to see that gap getting any bigger.
| Team | Position | Goal Difference | Points |
| Burnley | 1 | 43 | 84 |
| Sheffield United | 2 | 26 | 83 |
| Leeds United | 3 | 51 | 82 |
When in bad form, having a Tuesday night game is probably not the best solution as the boss will want the time to work with his squad in training.
However, Leeds have to use their disappointment as motivation to go and get a result against Middlesborough which will no doubt be another difficult game.
The Elland Road side does not have fond memories of competing in the play-offs and so surely, if they are to achieve their aims this season, they know that a top-two finish is the way to do it.