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Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier takes to social media to celebrate crucial Championship win over Sunderland
The 24-year-old French goalkeeper played the full 90 minutes as Leeds reclaimed the top spot from rivals Sheffield United in the race for promotion back to the Premier League.
Wilson Isidor opened the scoring for Sunderland in the 32nd minute, but Leeds centre-back Pascal Struijk restored parity in the 78th minute and then scored the winner in added time, sending Elland Road into raptures.
Meslier, who has been subject to strong criticism from Leeds fans throughout the season, took to Instagram to share a couple of images from the game, celebrating the crucial victory against their promotion rivals.
Meslier’s redemption after costly mistake in reverse fixture
The goalkeeper remains a key player for Leeds, starting all 33 of his games across all competitions, conceding 20 goals, and keeping 20 clean sheets.
However, Meslier was involved in what is arguably the biggest mistake of the season in the reverse fixture, letting the ball bounce from a lofted Junior Firpo backpass instead of catching it, and letting it trickle into the back of the net.
Leeds fans were left stunned after the final whistle on Monday when Meslier appeared to make a gesture towards the Sunderland bench, but the Frenchman’s celebrations on social media suggest he was finally able to silence his critics with the crucial win.
Leeds‘ push for Premier League promotion
Leeds will travel to their nearest competitor Sheffield United for their next Championship game on Monday (February 24), as they seek to earn promotion back to the Premier League having gone through play-off heartbreak last season.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side have just 13 league games remaining, and they will be looking to maintain their top spot and secure automatic promotion to the top flight.
In other news, Manor Solomon, the Israeli midfielder linked with a move to Leeds United, has sent a message to the club’s fans, expressing his desire to join the Whites and help them achieve their Premier League ambitions.
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