Pundit shocked as he struggles to answer for ‘lethargic’ Leeds display

Rodrigo Leeds

Jermaine Beckford admitted that he was surprised at Leeds’ performance against Brighton given their two successive defeats coming into the match.

The Whites were expected to show a response against the Seagulls following 3-0 losses to Tottenham and Crawley.

Indeed, Leeds had attracted more criticism for their FA Cup exit to Crawley. The League Two side showed more desire and fight and deserved their place in the fourth round.

However, Marcelo Bielsa‘s men failed to show enough of a response to their problems and their losing run stretched to three games. Neal Maupay’s first-half strike proved enough to end Brighton’s nine-match run without a Premier League victory.

Speaking on Sky Sports, pundit Beckford struggled to explain his former side’s sluggish display.

“If I’m honest, no,” the ex-striker said when asked if he knew the reason behind the performance. “It was quite surprising, especially after the performance at Crawley.

“I expected to see every one of the players on the front foot, really pushing themselves to the limit and giving a performance that we’re used to seeing from Leeds United.

“In your face, up front, energetic, but we didn’t see that today. Although Leeds dominated possession it almost looked like the Leeds players looked lethargic, which is a little bit concerning if I’m honest.”

Luke Ayling Leeds

Leeds’ hat-trick of defeats is the first such run they have endured since their return to the Premier League.

Their previous best record is two wins on the spin, the worst two successive defeats.

Beckford disappointed at Leeds

Adam Webster, Patrick Bamford

“You can tell that with the points that are on the board,” Beckford said. “It’s disappointing and it’s a very frustrating performance today.

“That being said, you look at the bigger picture. There’s a lot of players to come back and Marcelo Bielsa’s not going to be happy with the performance that he’s seen from the players today.

“It can only get better.”

Leeds especially missed midfielder Kalvin Phillips. The England international was serving a one-match ban after an accumulation of yellow cards.

READ MORE: Bielsa names crucial tactic gone missing; shuts down Meslier probe