Luke Ayling defends Leeds United trio and makes squad demand in survival bid amid injuries - YEP 6/3/23

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Luke Ayling has leapt to the defence of a particular Leeds United trio and outlined a crucial Whites squad demand in his side’s bid to beat the drop.

Lee Sobot

Javi Gracia’s fourth-bottom Whites fell to a 13th defeat of the Premier League season in Saturday’s clash at Chelsea who recorded a 1-0 success as Leeds failed to score for the fourth time in their last five games in league and cup.

The Whites have netted just once in their last 492 minutes of football via Junior Firpo’s strike in last weekend’s hosting of Southampton which secured a 1-0 victory and United’s first league win from their last 11 games.

Leeds have been without top scorer Rodrigo since the start of February and Whites no 9 Patrick Bamford was also forced to miss Saturday’s contest at Stamford Bridge having felt pain in his leg in training. Fellow attacker Luis Sinisterra also remains out injured.

Ayling, though, says Leeds cannot just rely on their remaining forwards such as Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto and Jack Harrison to bag the goals needed to keep Leeds up, insisting the responsibility to get the Whites back on the goals trail lies with the squad as a whole.

In the absence of both Rodrigo and Bamford, new record signing Georginio Rutter led the line at Chelsea, supported by Brenden Aaronson, Summerville and Harrison until Gnonto and Mateo Joseph replaced Rutter and Aaronson from the bench.

Leeds, though, served up just two shots on target and one of them came from keeper Illan Meslier who had arguably United’s best attempt in seeing a header saved as he joined the attack for a stoppage time corner.

Speaking after Saturday’s reverse at Chelsea, Ayling was asked if it would be down to individual brilliance from players like Summerville to get the goals needed to keep the Whites in the division.

"Players like him, players like Willy, our front players have been doing really well,” said Ayling. "We have got five or six injured players back home who are massive to us, they are lads with a lot of experience so hopefully we are getting some of them back in the next few weeks to the young players that we've got here. It's down to the whole squad.

"We can't just put everything on Cree, Willy, Jack and players like that. It comes from the whole squad so we will be fighting every minute of every game."

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