By George Overhill

27th May, 2023 | 7:40pm

Leeds United slammed by Sky Sports pundit, accused of 'ultimate slap in the face to the fans' after what he saw this week

Leeds United displayed the “ultimate slap in the face” to their fans by lacking any fight in the loss to West Ham and appear headed for relegation as a result, says David Prutton.

The Whites had the lead at the London Stadium last Sunday (21 May) but threw it away and never looked like getting it back on the day they ceded the chance to keep Premier League survival in their own hands going into the final weekend.

The failings have been cumulative in various areas at the club admits Prutton, but with the drop looking likely ahead of a last-day clash with Tottenham at Elland Road he slammed the meek surrender on the pitch as unacceptable for the supporters.

In his Yorkshire Evening Post column the Sky Sports pundit said: “There didn’t appear to be any fight from the players at West Ham and if you go down swinging then I think fans can stomach that.

“I’m not saying they accept it but they can stomach it. But being seen to be going down without a fight is the ultimate slap in the face for the fans.

“There’ll be lots of fingers pointed in lots of different directions if Leeds go down but ultimately it is performances on the pitch that haven’t been good enough over the course of this campaign and of course, last campaign.”

Drained

There have been so many false alarms this season that fans have grown accustomed to throwing away opportunities, but even so it was depressing for them to witness the loss in such flat circumstances last week when there should have been an onslaught.

If Sam Allardyce’s side could have even replicated the fight of a week earlier in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle, where even then they were fighting back after throwing away a lead, then there were a crucial three points on offer against a tired West Ham side.

Instead the Hammers somewhat strolled to a win, to leave Leeds United needing help from elsewhere even if they do hold of their end of the bargain on the final day.

Had they capitalised on Rodrigo’s well-taken opener last week, or at least pushed to take the lead again in the second half after Declan Rice had equalised, it would be the Whites instead of Everton in the box seat heading into the decider.

But it is not just the West Ham game that brought this team to this point. Going from the brink of a 2-0 lead to having to push for a point the week before vs Newcastle, the massive collapse after being 1-0 up to Crystal Palace that led to Javi Gracia’s reign imploding, and so many other games besides can be pointed to.

There is 90 minutes left at three grounds now when it probably never should have reached that point, and after Allardyce and Luke Ayling’s words following the previous loss it is hard to be confident in a side who sound like they may have already admitted defeat.

In other Leeds United news, an FA Cup-winner is likely to be 49ers Enterprises top choice as manager if they get in this summer says Phil Hay.