Why Illan Meslier's costly errors during Leeds United's draw with Swansea has consequences for Portsmouth
Pompey moved seven points clear of the Championship relegation zone following their 1-0 victory against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
Josh Murphy’s seventh goal of the season on 20 minutes was enough to hand John Mousinho's side all three points as the Blues moved another step closer towards safety.
Yet the important win didn’t see the Fratton Park side move up the standings, with Pompey remaining in 17th position with seven games left to play.
They successfully closed the gap on those teams occupying spots above them in the table - including QPR, who lost 3-1 at Stoke; Preston North End, who play Aston Villa in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday; Millwall, who went down to a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland; and Sheffield Wednesday, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Cardiff.
Victory over Valerien Ismael’s side also saw the Blues draw level on points with Swansea, who sit 16th and above Pompey in the standings on goal difference only.
Yet two huge mistakes in the Swans’ eye-catching 2-2 draw at Leeds United denied the Fratton Park outfit that other important gain in their battle to stay up - with Whites keeper Illan Meslier quickly turning from hero to villain.
Indeed, the Frenchman was at fault for both goals conceded as Daniel Farke’s side lost vital ground to Sheffield United in the battle to be crowned Championship winners and Swansea edged closer to safety in the aftermath of Luke Williams’ recent sacking as head coach.
What went wrong for Leeds keeper Illan Meslier v Swansea
Meslier’s failure to stop Zak Vipotnik’s 96th-minute equaliser - after Wilfried Gnonto handed the hosts the lead for a second time with just four minutes of normal time remaining - was largely criticised as he let the effort from an acute angle go underneath him.
But it was nothing compared to the stick he got after gifting the visitors their first goal on a dramatic day at Elland Road.
With the hosts leading through Brenden Aaronson’s first-minute opener and with Meslier denying Josh Tymons from the penalty spot, the 25-year-old surprised every one of the 35,574 fans packed into Elland Road by allowing a routine catch from a corner kick slip from his hands and into the path of Harry Darling.
The ball landed kindly to the feet of the defender, who seized upon the moment of good fortune by steering the ball home from close range.
It was an almighty 64th-minute clanger from the keeper and one that could have serious consequences at both ends of the table. Although Farke was in no mood to single out the keeper in his post-match press confernce. Speaking to out sister title, the Yorkshire Evening Post, he said: ‘We win together, lose together, draw together. It's not up to me to give any judgements or messages out of emotions straight away. They don't need a manager who puts his disappointment on the shoulders.’
If you haven’t seen the errors yet, then you can watch them here.
No doubt, Leeds fans will not want to catch a re-run of the crucial moments. As for the Fratton faithful, they’ll be hoping it doesn’t come back to haunt them over the final weeks of the season.
Fingers crossed, it won’t, with Murphy’s excellently-taken effort against Blackburn today keeping Mousinho’s men firmly on track for another season back in the Championship.
For your next Pompey read: Neil Allen's Portsmouth player ratings against Blackburn Rovers