Leeds United were well and truly hammered by Crystal Palace today as Roy Hodgson’s side slammed five goals past Javi Gracia’s men.
Palace romped to a stunning second-half performance after initially falling behind to Patrick Bamford’s goal.
The win for Palace means they are now well clear of the bottom three, while Leeds are left firmly looking over their shoulders when it comes to the dreaded drop.
However, despite the second half capitulation, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Leeds fans. In fact, the BBC’s Gary Rose even pointed out that at full-time, certain Leeds fans even applauded the efforts as the result was such an odd one.
“A somewhat strange atmosphere at a half empty Elland Road with a smattering of boos but also some applause as some fans accept that the second half was just such an anomaly, or at least they will hope it was,” Rose said.
“In contrast, the away end is bouncing as ecstatic Palace fans celebrate the incredible revival under Roy Hodgson. In barely two weeks in the job he has claimed back-to-back wins that leaves Palace six points above the relegation.”
Leeds now face Liverpool before a run of crucial games sees them take on Fulham, Leicester and Bournemouth in quick succession.
TBR’s View: Leeds could well go down
This was an absolutel catastrophe for Leeds and manager Gracia. They just looked completely overwhelmed in the second half.
There were some positives to take in terms of the opening 45 minutes. Leeds had looked in control and if wasn’t for the Palace goalkeeper, might well have had more goals.
However, it wasn’t to be and the second 45 will be a worry for Leeds. Yes, the fans might feel it was a one off. But if this sort of performance comes along again, then they’ll find themselves in the bottom three before long.