Leeds United lost 3-2 to Fulham at home on Sunday in the Premier League, dropping them into the relegation zone and increasing coach Jesse Marsch’s workload.
Leeds, who haven’t won in the league since August, sit in 18th place with nine points following their fourth straight loss. In the meantime, Fulham advanced to seventh place on 18.
Rodrigo’s close-range header gave the home team the lead in the 20th minute, but Aleksandar Mitrovic’s header from an Andreas Pereira corner gave Fulham the equaliser four minutes later and his ninth goal of the year.
As both teams searched for a winner in a fun second half, Leeds enjoyed the majority of the chances, but Luke Ayling, Rodrigo, Brenden Aaronson, and substitute Patrick Bamford all missed good chances.
Additionally, Fulham missed two good chances, but in the 74th minute, fullback Bobby Decordova-Reid headed home another cross from Pereira to give his team the lead.
Following the goal, Leeds supporters soon chanted “You’re getting dismissed in the morning” at American coach Marsch. The wrath in the stadium escalated further when Willian struck Fulham’s third goal in the 83rd after the visitors had worn the hosts’ defences raw.
When he slipped to push the ball home in extra time, substitute Crysencio Summerville offered Leeds hope of a comeback, but it was too little, too late for Marsch’s team.
Despite gaining the lead at Elland Road, Fulham defeated Leeds United despite coming from behind to win the three points. Late in the contest, Jesse Marsch’s team scored to cut the lead, but the time ran out as they looked for their own comeback.
Leeds had a strong start to the game and was in control early on as they tried to close the gap on their opponents. The Whites attempted a few early set plays, but they were successfully stopped after moving into the box.
Fulham ought to have taken the lead on their first meaningful attack of the contest. Aleksandar Mitrovic at the near post flicked on a cross from the left side, finding Harrison Reed at the back of the area.
He controlled the ball well and made a good attempt at the goal, but Marc Roca was perfectly situated to make a block on the line, and Robin Koch was also present to support his teammate by completely eliminating the threat.
Following the crucial intervention, Marsch’s team took the lead six minutes later. Brenden Aaronson made a rapid break for the goal, skipping past midfield before passing the ball wide to Jack Harrison.
Tim Ream deflected the winger’s shot up into the air as he was setting up to shoot with his left foot while controlling with his right. Rodrigo, on the other hand, was vigilant and saw the rebound coming. He then followed in and headed in his fifth goal of the year.
But the lead was short-lived. Mitrovic, the knowledgeable striker for Fulham, promptly retaliated. Andreas Pereira’s near-post corner reached the forward’s head, and he flicked the ball in to tie the score.
The visiting team had a fantastic opportunity to turn the game around and take the lead just a few minutes after going back on equal footing. Illan Meslier, though, read Andreas correctly and made a huge save to stop him after he was allowed through on goal and appeared to pick his location.
Half opportunities were created in the final minutes, but neither goalkeeper was put to the test, so we went into halftime level.
Leeds United tied Fulham at 1 at the half.
Both teams did not make any adjustments as they exited the locker rooms to start the second half.
However, Leeds did have two early opportunities. Before Aaronson had an opportunity to take advantage of a swift move that had presented itself, Rodrigo had struck a shot on goal that Bernd Leno had stopped.
Luke Ayling received the next good opportunity while making his first Premier League start of the year. With a fast free kick, Roca found him, and after some excellent chest control, he fired left-footed just wide of the post.
Ayling was then instructed to take action down the other end while still performing his regular job. He quickly returned and used his last foot to block the ball in order to prevent Joao Palhinha from having a clear shot at goal.
Marsch changed twice shortly after the hour mark. Sinisterra and the goal scorer, Rodrigo, were replaced by Patrick Bamford and Crysencio Summerville.
After a solid start to the second half, both players immediately got into the action, hoping to keep Leeds in the lead. Once more, Aaronson was the instigator of the play, creating a chance for Bamford, whose shot was expertly saved and cleared by Leno.
The lost opportunities were paid for when the away team took the lead with 15 minutes remaining in the game. After the corner kick was first cleared, Andreas crossed the ball directly back into the penalty area, where Bobby De Cordova-Reid headed the ball into the goal.
As the game entered its last five minutes, Reed had the opportunity to draw the ball back to Willian who was waiting on the penalty spot and who calmly buried the ball into the far corner to score Fulham’s third.
The Whites scored as stoppage time was about to begin. When Joe Gelhardt came off the bench, he played through Summerville, another substitute, who toe-poked the ball past Leno to cut the deficit.
After giving up, the opposition held onto the ball for a little period to earn the three points.
Leeds United defeats Fulham in overtime, 3–2.
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