Not just Meslier: 5/10 Leeds man showed why he’s not good enough for the PL
Leeds United’s promotion hopes took another hit after a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, where both teams scored in the dying moments of the match.
The Whites now find themselves two points behind Championship leaders Sheffield United and tied with third-place Burnley. Their position is increasingly precarious, and they risk slipping into the playoffs if things don’t improve.
Daniel Farke’s side made an ideal start, taking the lead in the first minute. Brendan Aaronson, who has struggled with consistency this season, ended an eight-game goal drought by pouncing on a loose ball inside the six-yard box.
Just over ten minutes later, Leeds’ goalkeeper Illan Meslier made a crucial penalty save, diving to his left to deny Josh Tymon from the spot.
However, it wasn’t until the 64th minute that Swansea equalized, with Harry Darling capitalizing on a mistake by Meslier following a corner.
Young forward Wilfried Gnonto thought he had secured the win for Leeds in the 85th minute, scoring with a powerful strike just one minute after coming on. He met a cleared corner and fired the ball into the net.
But Swansea snatched a late equalizer through Zan Vipotnik, with Meslier again failing to prevent the goal. The strike went under his outstretched arm, leaving many to question his performance.
Meslier’s Performance Against Swansea
Meslier’s game was a mixed bag. On the positive side, he saved a penalty, diving low to his left to deny Tymon. However, he also made costly mistakes.
His blunder led to Swansea’s first goal, as he misjudged a corner and dropped the ball, which Darling was quick to poke home.
For the equalizer, Meslier’s failure to properly deal with the shot raised more questions about his reliability.
Leeds Live journalist Isaac Johnson was critical of Meslier, giving him a rating of 4/10, citing “yet another blunder” for the goals, something that has become a recurring issue for the French goalkeeper.
Piroe’s Struggles Against His Former Club
Another player who came under scrutiny was Joel Piroe, who had a difficult return to his former club. The Dutch striker, who scored 46 goals in 96 appearances for Swansea, was largely anonymous in the match. Though he had one shot saved in the second half, he was not involved much throughout the game and received a 5/10 rating from Johnson, who noted that Piroe “didn’t do much,” especially after his effort on goal.
Statistically, Piroe had just 37 touches and completed only 70% of his passes. Off the ball, he won only two of his ten attempted duels, highlighting his struggles.
While Piroe has netted 15 goals this season, his lack of impact against Swansea might raise doubts about his ability to perform at the Premier League level.
His recent run of five games without a goal also adds to the concern, and questions may start to emerge about his suitability for Farke’s system.
With two key players—Meslier and Piroe—failing to perform, Leeds are in serious danger of missing out on automatic promotion once again.
