Jamie Carragher and Robbie Keane were left impressed by Leeds United following their 0-0 Premier League draw with Crystal Palace. The duo praised the Whites intensity and compactness, in a game that saw the hosts dominate the second half, bombarding the Leeds box with a number of chances.
Some last ditch defending coupled with the steady hands of Illan Meslier meant that Jesse Marsch's side came away from Selhurst Park with a point, which moves them five points clear of 18th placed Everton.
Leeds were famed for their high pressing game under Marcelo Bielsa, and Carragher feels that intensity is still there under Jesse Marsch. And it's something they will need heading into some tough fixtures.
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"When you’re near the bottom of the table, if you go anywhere away from home and pick up a point, it’s never a bad point." said Carragher on Sky Sports after Monday night's draw. "I’m interested how Burnley and Everton would view that as a good result for them. It’s a sizeable gap with a long time to go. I was impressed with Leeds.
"The intensity is still there and that mentality to keep a clean sheet. Kalvin Phillips in midfield and [Luke] Ayling at right-back, I thought Jonny Giles and Billy Bremner were in midfield at one stage with the amount of tackles that were going in. I can only admire it. It was a 0-0 but I enjoyed the game. It was only the last 10/15 minutes when it felt that Leeds accepted the point."
Fellow pundit, and former Leeds United striker Robbie Keane was also impressed with the character of the Whites, adding: "Considering how the game went, it looked like Palace being the team to score. The one thing you have to give them credit for, everyone of them ran their socks off. There’s a lot of character and fight in this Leeds team.
"A few months ago, they probably would have lost that game. They are more structured now. Very compact and made it difficult for Palace. A lot Palace’s shots were outside the box. A bit more organised and structured. Very well organised. It’s a decent point."
