Leeds United 1 Aston Villa 2: Lee Sobot's YEP video verdict
Leeds United suffered a 2-1 home defeat against Premier League rivals Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.
Aston Villa inflicted a 2-1 home defeat on Leeds United on Sunday afternoon that ensured the Whites will be sitting in the Premier League relegation zone when they travel to title contenders Manchester United this weekend.
It had all started to well for Daniel Farke’s side as a somewhat fortuitous goal from Lukas Nmecha was awarded after a painfully long VAR check for a foul and offside in the moments before an attempted clearance struck the Whites summer signing before landing in the back of Emi Martinez’s net.
The lead remained in place until just after half-time when England international Morgan Rogers grabbed an equaliser for Villa before the former Middlesbrough man put his side in front for the first time in the game with a well-taken free-kick from just outside of the area. Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri has been questioned over his positioning when facing the free kick and his lack of attempt to move for Rogers’ effort. However, former England goalkeepers Joe Hart and Ben Foster have both absolved the Brazilian of any blame and have pointed towards the reaction time he faced as a key reason why it would have been difficult for Perri to prevent a goal in such circumstances.
Via his role as a Match of the Day pundit, Hart said: “Rogers approaches it straight, making it difficult for Perri. His technique, like Gareth Bale’s, he hits below the ankle. 8ft 10in, [when the ball passes the wall] the goal is 8ft high. Perri has no idea of the trajectory.
“This is the time frame he has, a millisecond later, it’s at 5ft. Unbelievable dippage. Everyone at Elland Road is asking why is he just stood there? It threatens to swerve right to left. But it dips the other way. Perri is set for the ball to come towards him, making calculations in his head, but it dips the other way and Perri is stuck in the mud. Can’t move.”
Leeds United blame
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has announced his retirement from football. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)placeholder image
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has announced his retirement from football. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Foster also threw his support behind Perri as he analysed the goal and insisted the Brazilian stopper should not be blamed.
Speaking on his Cycling GK podcast, the former Manchester United and England stopper said: “As soon as it starts to move and all that, but once it goes over the wall, you’re in trouble anyway because you’ve got less than a second. You’ve got less than a second, and if you’re not already moving that way because the ball is doing a bit, because it can go back and forth, you take half a little step, a quarter of a little step, an eighth of a step, game over, done. So I’d say he would look at it and think, I probably should have done better, but I don’t think you can blame him.”
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