caughtoffside
·5 October 2024
caughtoffside
·5 October 2024
Illan Meslier had a night to forget away to Sunderland on Friday night.
Despite falling behind to a nine-minute goal from Chris Rigg, Leeds United fought back well to turn the game around.
Joel Piroe equalised on the 22-minute mark with Junior Firpo firing the Whites into the lead with just over half an hour left to play.
And it looked like the away team were going to hold on and take what would’ve been a huge three points in the race for Championship promotion… Meslier had other ideas though.
The 24-year-old shot-stopper failed to stop a simple ball back to him with just seconds left on the clock.
Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images.
The keeper’s error, which will go down in Championship history as one of the worst-ever individual mistakes, saw the Black Cats equalise at the death and left Firpo fuming.
According to journalist Graham Smyth, who was in attendance at the Stadium of Light, Leeds United’s second goalscorer stormed off the pitch at the full-time whistle while his teammates rushed to console their keeper.
FT Sunderland 2-2 Leeds United A seven-point week on 96 minutes and then, with one horrible, inexplicable lapse in concentration it's a five-point week. Firpo is storming off the pitch fuming as others run to Meslier. — Graham Smyth (@GrahamSmyth) October 4, 2024
Suggestions the Whites’ camp has been disrupted by Meslier’s howler will not go down well with fans, nor manager Daniel Farke, who must now work hard to bring the side back together as they prepare to host Sheffield United after the international break.