Javi Gracia took his opportunity to stand by Luke Ayling after Sunday afternoon’s Leeds United horror show. The Whites were well and truly embarrassed by Crystal Palace as they collapsed to a 5-1 defeat in a game that was heaped in significance at the foot of the Premier League table.
Leeds actually took a deserved lead in the game, but the goal they conceded just before the break led to a complete and utter capitulation as Roy Hodgson’s side ran riot at Elland Road. No one in white could leave the field with their head held high as individual mistakes came from across the board.
However, Luke Ayling was one of those who struggled to put a foot right in the second half of the contest and the performance came after what has been a difficult few weeks for him. The right-back was one of Leeds’ brightest over the first couple of months of the calendar year in the Premier League.
