Bournemouth 4 Leeds United 1: Victor Orta bears the brunt but feeble players cannot escape blame - Yorkshire Post 30/4/23

For long periods in the second half of Leeds United’s sorry defeat at Bournemouth, it looked like Victor Orta and his fellow directors were going to share the blame alone.

Stuart Rayner

But eventually it got so bad the travelling supporters could not help but turn both barrels on the feeble footballers they were watching.

After Leeds ended a week of must-win games with just one extra point to their name, the players tentatively walked over to where the away fans are housed at Dean Court but they dare not get too close with so much bile heading their way.

The Whites defence set a new Premier League record – breaking the one set by Marcelo Bielsa's team – for most goals conceded in a month.

And it should have been worse than 4-1, Kieffer Moore missing a sitter of a header any Barnsley or Rotherham United fan could tell you they would expect him to gobble up.

Moore had picked up a suspected concussion minutes earlier and his manager, Gary O’Neil, joked he could tell the problem was serious.

But from a Leeds perspective, this was as far removed as it possible to be from a laughing matter. Their team is in serious danger of dropping out of the Premier League 12 months after chairman Andrea Radrizzani promised this would not happen again.

So it was the men who suits who were turned on first. At no point did coach Javi Gracia, who selected an extra defender for the game and saw his side concede four goals, get any abuse. The problems are more fundamental than the latest coach.

"Sack the board" came the chant before video assistant referee Craig Pawson signed off Bournemouth's third goal. Just before it was scored the first chorus of "We want Orta out!" at the club's director of football.

“You’re not fit to wear the shirt” rang out after Antonie Semenyo made it four and when the players came over at full-time it turned to "What the “f***ing hell was that?”

Well they might ask.

A fundamental rethink is needed this summer, but the question is what division Leeds will be doing it from. The answer is looking more likely to be the Championship.

Crazy things can happen happen at this time of year, but Leeds beating Manchester City or Newcastle United in their next two matches stretching credulity. Two more defeats will leave them looking at a maximum points tally of 36 this season. They will have to improve if they want to get there.

Their inability to put pressure on Jefferson Lerma was a contributing factor in his two well-taken goals. Illan Meslier's flapping at a corner played its part too. The fourth came from his kick turning over possession, then him being unable to keep out Semenyo’s strike.

But like Southampton, whose demise the Bournemouth fans were naturally enjoying, the Whites have suffered for Orta being so fixated on the long-term, he has been unable to address the immediate future.

It does not help when the captain, whose leadership was so badly missing in the 11-2 aggregate defeats to Crystal Palace and Liverpool, is so prone to injury. Liam Cooper picked up another on Sunday.

Orta's record when he makes the big signings is not very impressive. Georginio Rutter, the club's record signing, was once more unused.

Without him, it was left to Patrick Bamford to produce another hit-and-miss performance, burying a header but having a good chance saved in the build-up to the opener.

Leeds started the game well and were awarded a penalty in the fifth minute for one of those handballs where the ball is hammered against a defender – Matias Vina – but under the stupid rules it is a foul. Pawson told referee Chris Kavanagh the offence was outside the area.

The Whites might have led from a long ball flicked to Bamford in the 19th minute but the shot was saved and the next time the ball went out, it was in Meslier's net.

Gracia had switched to a formation with Jack Harrison at wing-back and unsurprisingly Bournemouth looked to get in behind him. Dango Outtara did twice in a matter of minutes, first released by a Cooper slip only for Robin Koch to sweep up, then blocked by the captain.

Cooper threw himself in the line of fire again in the 20th minute to deny former Huddersfield Town midfielder Philip Billing. Lerma's curling shot was excellent, but helped by a negligent lack of pressure. The same was true of the second four minutes later, teed up by Meslier flapping at a corner.

It looked a severe body blow to come back from but Leeds did.

The new-look formation had Willy Gnonto as an inside left in a 3-4-2-1, and Bamford steered his cross inside the far post with a solid header.

Every silver lining has a cloud now and as it hit the net, Cooper hit the deck, demanding treatment, his day over.

Billing ran off the back of Weston McKennie in the 59th minute but miskicked his attempted overhead. When Gnonto headed wide, it was more difficult for the defender in his eyeline.

Another long ball down their right killed Leeds off, Max Wober slipping. When the ball was pulled back, Dominic Solanke's finish was smart.

Semenyo added another. Any longer and it would have been more.

It was abject surrender from a club in crisis.