KIKO’S DAY AS WHITES SURVIVE LATE DRAMA...
Shot-stopper denies the Royals at the death
MARCELO Bielsa hailed under-fire goalkeeper Kiko Casilla after the Spaniard’s last-gasp save sent Leeds five points clear in second place.
Ahead through an opportunist strike from Pablo Hernandez, the Whites looked to be coasting to an easy three points.
But, with just seconds of injury time remaining, makeshift striker Liam Moore shook himself free of Luke Ayling.
Elland Road held its breath, but Casilla sprawled, Moore scuffed and, as the ball spun clear, so too went any chance of a Reading comeback.
For Casilla, reeling from a string of costly errors in recent games and currently awaiting the result of a FA hearing into his alleged racist abuse of Charlton’s Jonathan Leko, it was a rare moment in the sun – and one that Bielsa was keen to highlight.
“Kiko had a very important impact on the result,” said Bielsa, whose side have now won backto-back matches for the first time since a seven-game unbeaten run in November.
“Sometimes in recent games we were a lot better than the opponent and he conceded some goals that negatively affected the result of those matches.
“Today was the opposite; his save made the difference and changed the result in our favour. It was very important.”
For a dejected Mark Bowen, the Reading manager, though, the incident was less about Casilla’s heroics and more about the failure of referee Jarred Gillett to award his side a penalty.
“I actually thought Liam Moore was punished for being too honest,” said the