Leeds United fell to a crushing late defeat at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Alan Shearer doesn’t believe Gabriel Gudmundsson could have done much to avoid Saturday’s freak own-goal against Fulham.
Leeds United fell to the most unfortunate of late 1-0 defeats at Craven Cottage on Saturday, with Gudmundsson heading the ball into his own net in the 94th minute. Daniel Farke’s side had produced a strong away performance defensively but as the pressure built, Fulham eventually nicked it.
Cottagers substitute Kevin forced an excellent save from Karl Darlow which resulted in a corner for the home side, which Gudmundsson somewhat inexplicably headed into his own net from around 10 yards. The Swedish left-back was under no obvious pressure but looked to have been put off as the ball flew just over Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon.
“How’s your luck?” a baffled Shearer said on The Rest Is Football. “Kevin had the shot which the keeper saved and they got the corner… There’s not a lot he could do to be honest but it's just so unlucky. I actually felt for him.”
The defeat leaves Leeds on four points after as many games, with victories elsewhere pulling them down the table and into 16th. Farke’s side were unfortunate not to take a point from Craven Cottage, having reduced Fulham to virtually nothing until Kevin’s introduction midway through the second-half.
Daniel Farke on Gabriel Gudmundsson’s Leeds United mistake
Goals remain a major problem for Leeds, with another 90 minutes passing and no open play success, but a strong defensive performance looked to have earned an important point on the road. That was until Gudmundsson’s late blunder, which Farke insists was not a reflection of the defender’s overall performance on Saturday.
"He doesn't need any words," the Leeds boss said. "He needs an arm round his shoulder and no words. It's difficult to explain. He was concentrated on blocking the player, lost control of his body and was surprised by the ball.
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“He was excellent today, there with an excellent performance. He was so crucial for our game, a top performance. That he's there with the spotlight is unlucky for him. He was the most disappointed guy in the dressing room. He doesn't need any criticism."
Gudmundsson and Leeds must now move on quickly, with another huge away trip on the cards this weekend. The Whites head to Molineux for a meeting with likely Premier League relegation rivals Wolves, the only team yet to pick up a single point having lost four from four.
Leeds will need to find their shooting boots if they are to take three points from the Midlands, however, having failed to get another attacker through the door during the summer transfer window’s final weeks. Farke’s side have just one successful effort to their name so far, an opening-night penalty against Everton.
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