Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch will surely be fuming at an image that has emerged following their defeat at the weekend.
Leeds were not the recipients of a ‘new manager bounce’ on Saturday as they ultimately fell to a 1-0 loss, although there were some positive signs to come out of the game.
As per BBC Sport’s match report, they had more shots than their opponents Leicester City by a margin of 19 to 7, were level in terms of shots on target with four apiece, whilst also only just handing the majority of possession to their opponents – a far cry from their performances in the month of February where they were constantly steamrollered by teams.
What happened?
Things could have been even better had Leeds been awarded a penalty in the second half. With the score at 0-0, a strike from Joe Gelhardt deflected off Marc Albrighton. According to journalist Phil Hay on Twitter, the VAR did check the incident, but nothing came from it.
The fact that it was awarded as a corner proves that the ball did indeed deflect off the Leicester man, but according to an image that has emerged in the aftermath, they arguably could have got more from the incident than just a corner.
What does the image show?
An image of the incident circulated online as it was being discussed on Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch segment that looked over the weekend’s decisions, and it could be argued that based on Albrighton’s body angle and how the ball deflected off his body, Leeds were robbed of a penalty that could have played a big part in deciding the outcome of the game.
TIF Verdict…
Will Jesse Marsch keep Leeds up?
Yes
No
Footage of the incident from behind the goal would suggest Marsch and Leeds have every right to feel aggrieved, as it doesn’t look as if it came off Albrighton’s head, which means that it may very well have come off his arm or hand instead.
And with the game in the state that it was at the time and the performance Leeds put in on the day, if they’d have converted the penalty, they could very well have gone on to hold out and win the game, picking up a valuable three points in the process.
Whether or not this goes on to have a big effect on the battle to stay in the league for Leeds, we’ll just have to wait and see, but hopefully it doesn’t become a bone of contention and controversy before the end of the campaign.
In other news: Bielsa will approve: People will be amazed at what Marsch has just hinted at Leeds – opinion