Leeds United dropped down into the bottom three of the Premier League table as they were beaten 3-2 by Fulham at Elland Road on Sunday.
The Whites have now lost four straight games and are without a win in eight in the top-flight after failing to make the most of taking the lead against Marco Silva’s men.
Rodrigo had given Jesse Marsch’s side a 1-0 advantage in the first half as he headed home from close range after Jack Harrison’s deflected effort looped into his path.
However, goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, Bobby Decordova-Reid, and Willian ensured that the away side picked up all three points in Yorkshire.
Crysencio Summerville pulled a goal back in stoppage time, his first at Premier League level, but it was not enough to mount a real comeback for the hosts as Fulham were able to hold on for the win.
Should Marsch be sacked?
Yes
No
Forget Rodrigo and his goal, Joe Gelhardt’s contribution off the bench was a huge positive for Leeds and he sent a big message to Marsch with his display.
The young gem made an instant impact as he assisted the second goal for the club after coming on in the 84th minute for Pascal Struijk.
Whites reporter Beren Cross described his play to set up the goal as “magic“, with the youngster avoiding multiple attempted tackles before teeing up Summerville.
Bundesliga social media manager Alex Chaffer also described his lack of game time this season as an “absolute disgrace” and this latest cameo from the young talent is a big message to Marsch, saying that he should be getting more minutes on the pitch.
Luis Sinisterra and Jack Harrison produced one key pass each in 64 and 90 minutes on the pitch respectively. Gelhardt came on and matched their contributions in just 11 minutes, whilst also completing 100% (3/3) of his attempted passes in the game.
Last season, he produced two goals and four assists in five Premier League starts – playing 732 minutes in total – and created four ‘big chances’ for his teammates in that time. This means that he had a goal contribution every 122 minutes, whilst his assist on Sunday means that he has one in 152 minutes this term.
Gelhardt has shown serious quality in limited minutes since the start of the 2021/22 campaign and this latest cameo should be a big enough message to convince Marsch, if the American remains in his post, to hand him more minutes in the coming weeks.
