Pearson: We Underachieved

The Foxes boss admitted his players had not produced their usual standard of performance at Elland Road, where an early penalty from Luciano Becchio handed them a first defeat in five games.

It proved a frustrating night for the Blues in West Yorkshire where, against a Leeds side with only one win in their previous eight, they were dealt another reminder of the npower Championship’s competitive nature.

“I don’t think there was a great deal in it tonight, but I’ve got no complaints over the result,” Pearson said post-match.

“We didn’t perform particularly well tonight and when we don’t manage the ball effectively it changes the complexion of games. We underachieved tonight.

“The first half was pretty poor. The second half was a lot better in terms of trying to force the game, but we didn’t show enough quality tonight.

“We didn’t work hard enough when we had the ball and, consequently, we gave the ball away too easily, which allowed them to build pressure.

“If we perform to the level we can, we’re a very difficult side to beat, but tonight we underachieved in the first half of what was a poor game.”

Having stuck with the side that started Saturday’s win over Sheffield Wednesday, Pearson went on to hint at changes for Saturday’s East Midlands clash with Derby County at King Power Stadium, which will be an immediate opportunity for the Foxes to bounce back.

“We were unchanged from Saturday, the players that started deserved to, but unfortunately it’s now a case of looking to tweak it for the weekend,” he said.

“The next game is always your opportunity to respond and we will need to do that against Derby on Saturday.”