Leeds United: Micah Richards left stunned by Premier League defeat v Crystal Palace
Micah Richards has admitted he was left watching with an “open mouth” as Crystal Palace completed their “spectacular” 5-1 rout of Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday (9 April).
After taking an early lead through Patrick Bamford in the 21st minute, Javi Gracia’s side capitulated after the half-time interval, conceding five goals within 32 minutes of football.
Writing for the Daily Mail (Monday 10 April, page 5), Richards admitted his shock at the crushing loss that left Leeds United 16th in the Premier League and just two points above the relegation zone with eight games of the season remaining.
He wrote: “Nobody wanted Patrick Viera to succeed at Crystal Palace more than I did but credit where it is due: Roy Hodgson’s impact has been outstanding and I watched them take Leeds apart yesterday with an open mouth.
“It was a spectacular demolition.
“I love Eberechi Eye and Michael Olise and rather than just concentrating on making Palace hard to beat, Hodgson has set those two forwards free.
“As a manager who has an excellent record of beating teams below him, he will keep his team in the division comfortably.”
Terrible
Leeds’ capitulation came out of absolutely nowhere.
After a fine first-half performance, it was as if a completely different 11 players came of the tunnel for the second 45 minutes.
The dramatic turnaround was like nothing seen at Elland Road in quite some time.
Roy Hodgson’s side must be credited with forcing Leeds into mistakes and producing some stunning combinations of attacking play, but the vulnerability of the Whites was alarming to see.
Since Gracia’s arrival at Elland Road, the Whites have been solid at the back and hard to break down on the whole.
However, this demolition was a nasty reminder that there is still a long way to go in the development of this side.
Although the embarrassment of the 5-1 defeat will be hard to shake off, Leeds must get back to work and look to make their supporters proud again when they face an out-of-kilter Liverpool side who are winless in their last six outings in all competitions.
In other Leeds United news, the decision has been made for the club to splash the cash this summer.