Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier has hailed his teammates' 'strong defensive performance' after a gritty and determined Whites side drew 0-0 with Newcastle United at St. James' Park.
The 22-year-old made some excellent saves to keep his third clean sheet of the season as him and a staunch Leeds defensive unit frustrated the Magpies who couldn't break through.
Meslier was delighted with the performance and acknowledged that bringing a point back to Elland Road was a great achievement in the face of such pressure when he spoke to LUTV after the game.
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"It was a good point, definitely. It's never easy to come here and try and bring home some points in the bag, they're a really good team so we're very pleased because it was a strong performance, especially in defence and the clean sheet.
"That was important to stop the goals, there were a lot of positive things so it looks good for the future. They're a very athletic team, they have very tall players but we were strong in set plays so it was fine.
"I'm just happy to help the team, to keep the clean sheet. Sometimes, we don't expect their plans, they pressed us very high which is difficult to play [against], and it wasn't easy.
"But it's sometimes easier to just defend, and bring a point home in your bag."
Tempers began to flare late on, with Meslier confronting several Magpies players before picking up a yellow card for his troubles - although he sympathised with his opponents.
"I don't know, I think they were just disappointed because they'd been trying to score and this point was enough for us. I can understand their attitude though."
The Whites goalkeeper also looked ahead to next Wednesday's six-pointer clash against fellow strugglers West Ham who are just two points behind them in 17th.
"I hope we can start next year well, we have an important home game against West Ham so if we can start with three points in 2023, it'll be the best way to continue and to stay in the league."
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