Leeds United returned to winning ways on Easter Monday with a late 3-1 victory over Hull City.
Having watched both Leicester City and Ipswich Town pick up three points earlier in the day, Leeds were under pressure going into the match but managed to hold their nerve with a last-gasp win.
Sam Byram had opened the scoring for Leeds inside the opening 10 minutes but the two sides went in level at the break after January Whites target Fabio Carvalho equalised.
It was not until the 88th minute when Leeds were able to get their noses back in front as Crysencio Summerville won and then converted a crucial late penalty.
Dan James then put the icing on the cake in the seventh minute of added on time with a sensational effort from 45 yards, moving Leeds back up to second in the Championship.
EFL pundit says he could not believe ‘shocking’ moment from £7m Leeds player vs Hull City
Leeds were a long way from their best on Monday and it was clear the nerves from the crowd and promotion run-in was taking its toll on the performance.
The Tigers were knocking the ball around nicely during the first half, but despite that, Leeds could and should have been out of sight inside the opening 25 minutes.
For all the away side’s possession, Leeds continued to create the better chances and had a golden opportunity to go 2-0 ahead after a well crafted move.
Summerville fed James in behind down the left-hand-side, who then put the ball on a plate for Patrick Bamford inside the six-yard box, but his effort somehow spooned over the crossbar.
Speaking on the latest episode of the ‘What the EFL Podcast’, pundit Adrian Clarke could not believe the nature of Bamford’s ‘shocking’ miss.
He said: “Leeds are excellent, but they miss Gruev in the middle, no doubt about that. Poor old Patrick Bamford, shocking miss. I don’t know how he managed it and I was a little surprised at how long it took for Piroe to come on actually. Good win for Leeds but they are under pressure.”
Bamford’s miss and performance opens up Joseph door at Leeds
Bamford’s performance in general across the whole of the Easter period was well below par, with Neil Redfearn labelling him as ‘lethargic’ after Monday night.
The £7 million man is the very definition of a confidence player and that miss could be very damaging for him moving forward into the rest of the season, which Leeds can ill afford.
With that in mind, that should surely open the door for Mateo Joseph to come in and make his first ever league start for Leeds on Saturday.
Joseph has been constantly changing games from the bench in recent weeks and showed what he can do as a starter at Chelsea in the FA Cup, meaning the time is now for Daniel Farke to make the change.