LEEDS FEAR THE WORST

IT WAS roughly this time last year that a sticky patch of results for Leeds United soon deteriorated into a slide that ended with play-off heartbreak. After this defeat at Queens Park Rangers made it just one win in their last seven Championship games, their fans could be forgiven for once again fearing the worst. When Leeds defeated Hull 2-0 on December 10, they enjoyed the luxury of an 11-point cushion to third place and it seemed certain their agonising 16-year wait to return to the Premier League would soon be over. Now the likes of Fulham and Brentford are breathing down their necks. If third-placed Fulham win at Charlton on Wednesday night, they will be just a point behind Leeds and all bets will be off. Suddenly it’s open season in the Championship, with just eight points splitting Leeds in second from Bristol City in eighth and the automatic promotion and play-off races will be chaotic. Leeds were aggrieved here that referee Peter Bankes failed to spot not one but two handballs by Nahki Wells in the act of scoring the decisive goal. But after having 17 shots on goal, including a Patrick Bamford penalty that was saved, they also had themselves to blame. Leeds top the Championship rankings for shots (450) and shots on target (141) but rank 18th in the division for shot conversion (9.56 per cent) and 21st for shooting accuracy (41.23 per cent). With Bamford wasteful, it was little wonder manager Marcelo Bielsa lamented the return to Arsenal of on-loan striker Eddie Nketiah earlier this month. ‘I would like to have an option on the bench like Nketiah. If you ask if we miss him, of course. We need to bring in a player the same as Nketiah or Bamford — or better,’ Bielsa said. Defender Luke Ayling added that more players need to step up when it comes to finding the net. ‘You can’t just put it on one man to score all the goals,’ he said. ‘I don’t think the players have scored enough in and around Patrick.’