Five things that went wrong for Leeds United at Wembley as Southampton revel in play-off triumph — YEP 26/5/24

By Joe Donnohue

Leeds United were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the Championship play-off final confirming the Whites will play second tier football next season.

Leeds missed out on promotion to the Premier League in the cruellest fashion on Sunday afternoon as Southampton's Adam Armstrong put paid to United's hopes of returning to the top flight at the first attempt.

The Saints striker's first half effort made all the difference despite Leeds' push to restore parity during the second half and take the game to extra-time.

Daniel Farke reflected on the game at full-time, reiterating the inexperience of his young side, suggesting it may have played a part in Leeds' inability to secure promotion after an imperious run midway through the season and 90-point finish.

From Wembley Stadium, here are five factors which contributed to Leeds falling at the final hurdle.

Key players unavailable

Leeds were unable to call upon Patrick Bamford, Pascal Struijk and Stuart Dallas at Wembley; all three ruled out due to injury. While their experience and words of encouragement will have been worth something in the build-up to kick-off and perhaps at half-time having travelled with the playing squad, their influence could not extend to the pitch where United needed it most.

Joel Piroe's performance on the day was insufficient in firing Leeds to promotion glory and a change up top, perhaps in the form of a fully fit and available Bamford may have made the difference in what was a tight encounter. Leeds lacked a focal point in attack, while the hold-up on display from Leeds' forwards fell short of what was expected.

Failing to control the middle of the pitch

Leeds enjoyed plenty of the ball, spending much of the game passing sideways and backwards as Southampton's combination of pressing and marking in central areas funnelled the ball out wide whenever United were in possession. From these positions, Leeds found it difficult to penetrate the Saints' box.

Inexperience

While some may interpret Farke's comments on the squad's relative youth as making excuses for failing to achieve the season's ultimate goal, his words do hold some weight. The most frequently-utilised Leeds team was the youngest in the division, except for Sunderland, throughout the entire 2023/24 campaign, and too few of the squad had big-game experience on a stage such as a Wembley play-off final, compared to Southampton's older, more seasoned players.

Set-pieces

How Leeds delivered and executed their set-plays at Wembley, and this season as a whole, left plenty to be desired. The Whites ranked tenth in the Championship for Expected Goals from set-pieces during 2023/24, but were joint-22nd when it came to actual goals from dead ball situations, ending the campaign with a single figure set-piece goals tally.

Too ponderous in possession

This particular critique is more game-specific compared to the aforementioned reasons for Leeds' failing at Wembley. United's best goals this season have been scored when the team has attacked with purpose, drive and speed. Against Southampton, faced with a well-coached defensive setup, Leeds were too ponderous on the ball, choosing safe passes all too often, which Russell Martin's men were all too happy to defend.

Dan James' guile and industry following his introduction from the bench highlighted what Leeds had been missing for the majority of the contest.

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