Leeds United's body language in 3-0 defeat at West Ham United tells a different story to the Premier League table - Yorkshire Post 22/5/23

For any photographer playing relegation bingo, it was all there.

By Stuart Rayner

Luke Ayling crying into his hands? Snap.

Joel Robles sat disconsolate in his goal? Flash.

Rodrigo burying his head in his shirt? Click.

Sam Allardyce ripping his tie off as he stomped down the tunnel? Say cheesed off.

If you were not fully up to speed on your permutations and "as it stands" table, you would think you were watching Leeds United being relegated from the Premier League.

They go into the season’s final game in with a chance but relying on favours. A win at West Ham United would have spared them that.

Last year Newcastle United, surging towards the finish line, helped them out, this time they need Bournemouth, whose brilliant season stopped as soon as they hit the safety mark against Leeds, to hold Everton up. Leicester City taking points at Newcastle on Monday would further complicate matters.

But the Leeds players did not look as if they believed they can do the necessary at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. They looked resigned to the Championship.

And if they go into the game with that mindset, it will be self-fulfilling.

Even interim manager Allardyce – who rarely suffers a confidence deficiency – struck a defeatist tone. Essentially, he announced no Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo at the weekend, meant no party. To the untrained eye, there looked a good chance both will miss D-day injured.

One wonders what the point of sitting £35m Georginio Rutter on the bench is if his boss keeps repeatedly slapping him around the chops with such hefty votes of no confidence.

West Ham were better and more professional than Leeds would have hoped, dashing expectations cruelly raised when Rodrigo put them in front that the Whites could take charge of their final-day destiny.

Leeds never gave the impression they felt they were good enough.

They had to make hay when the Hammers were getting Thursday's Europa Conference League final win out of if not their legs then certainly their minds. But when Bamford twice broke down the inside-left channel early on he had no support the first time and his pull-back bounced off Rodrigo the second.

The Spaniard's volleyed goal direct from a long Weston McKennie throw-in was scant reward.

Rasmus Kristensen shanking a Tomas Coufal cross minutes later betrayed Leeds‘s fragile confidence.

It was the start of West Ham exerting themselves with Declan Rice – in probably his final West Ham home appearance – leading the way.

When Jarrod Bowen got to the byline in the 32nd minute Rice's shot into the ground was not the cleanest, but it found the net. As it did, Bamford dropped to the turf, his day ended by a hamstring injury.

Bamford's replacement Willy Gnonto was on his heels when Ayling turned a cross back to him, allowing West Ham to break again. Joel Robles denied Emerson.

When Leeds threw a punch back in first-half stoppage time it again underlined how low belief is, Rodrigo robbing Angelo Ogbonna only for Gnonto to completely miskick the pull-back. Jack Harrison's dragged shot when it squirted his way was not that much better.

It was West Ham, not Leeds, who came out swinging after the break, Robles denying Lucas Paqueta, Bowen and Coufal in the opening quarter of an hour. Maybe it was because he knew he was offside, maybe it was the soreness of his foot, but Rodrigo was hesitant one-on-one with Lukasz Fabianski.

The inevitable had to wait until the 73rd-minute when Danny Ings played in Bowen to slip the ball past Robles. Video assistant referee Michael Salisbury put Leeds through the agony of a lengthy review but there was no offside.

Leeds’s goal difference could have done without Paqueta wriggling out of the corner West Ham were trapped in and Manuel Lanzini converting. At least the hosts made a Horlicks of a two-on-one right at the end, pulling the ball behind Rice.

If this footballing week has taught us anything, it is never to give up hope; Leeds are, after all, playing opponents who have got Spursier and Spursier as the season has gone on.

But unless those behind the scenes can somehow inject some conviction into this team over the next seven days, the story of 2022-23 will be written in the resigned body language on show in east London.