Matchday Live Talking Points: A Frenetic First Half & Credit To Leeds
- Leicester City were beaten 3-1 by Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday
- The Foxes dropped to fourth in the Premier League after their first loss since mid-December
- Matt Elliott, Gerry Taggart and Tony Cottee reflected on the encounter during LCFC Radio's Matchday Live
- The former City stars called on Brendan Rodgers' men to recover and move on ahead of a busy month
The Foxes suffered their first defeat since 12 December, 2020 - a run of nine games - as goals from Leeds United trio Stuart Dallas, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison overturned Harvey Barnes' opener at King Power Stadium.
Reflecting on that disappointment, Elliott, Taggart and Cottee provided their expert opinion on the game itself, before looking ahead to a busy February for Leicester...
A frenetic first half
Matt Elliott said: “The amount of goalmouth action in the first half is something you don’t see too often. It became a little slower in the second half, but when Leeds got their second, there was another flurry of activity, mainly from Leicester’s point of few. They had to up the ante and put the squeeze on and they ultimately paid a price for it. All things said and done, I don’t think you can begrudge Leeds, it was a really good performance from them.”
Credit to Leeds
Tony Cottee said: “I’m sure the fans and the manager will be disappointed with the way the game unfolded. There were parts of the game where Leicester were very decent. They’ve been so consistent of late, Leicester and it’s important to say a few things. First and foremost, it was a fantastic game of football, without a doubt. It’s hard to say that when you’ve lost the game, but let’s give credit to Leeds. They put in a performance.”
Lapses in concentration
Gerry Taggart said: “Leicester, I thought, were really good at times. It was an even game for large parts, but it was a couple of lapses in concentration which led to the Leeds goals. That comes about when you’re put under relentless pressure. That’s what Leeds put into this game today, non-stop relentless pressure. For that, they probably deserved the win.”
Tactical tweaks
Matt Elliott said: “Leicester getting the opener, they may have thought three quarters of the job was done, as they’d seen how they could open Leeds up. Leeds came straight back, though, didn’t they and that maybe jolted Leicester a little bit. Brendan Rodgers switched things at half-time and it made sense, I could see the reasoning behind that. It all became a little bit disjointed later on, though, and Leeds stuck to what they were doing.”
Bouncing back
Tony Cottee said: “Leicester have an opportunity to bounce back at Fulham and then at Wolves, who are not in great form. If you can get at least four points, hopefully six, from those two games, it sets you up nicely for the next game, which is Liverpool at home. You’ve got the FA Cup sandwiched in there, too, and then the Europa League. There is no time to be too disappointed. The games are coming thick and fast.”
Coping with injuries
Gerry Taggart said: “A lot of teams will have inconsistent results at times this season. We’ve seen that all over the place this season with our teams. We’re missing a couple of our top players. We’ve coped with it in the past. We were playing a Leeds team who were right on top of their game. Sometimes, you can look too deeply into a defeat, especially when it comes off the back of such a good run. It’s frustrating, but it’s football.”