Luke Ayling’s sending off for Leeds United at Arsenal continues to be criticised after he left his team mates with an almighty uphill task. The Whites were already 2-0 down in the 27th minute when he dived in two-footed on Gabriel Martinelli, all-but ending the game as a contest.
The 10 players left on the pitch for the Whites, as well as the substitutes, showed spirit in the way they fought to get back into the match and Diego Llorente was able to halve the deficit in the second half. But they had far too much to do against Mikel Arteta’s Champions League-chasing side.
Compounded by Illan Meslier’s mistake which handed Eddie Nketiah his first goal, it was yet another game where individual errors cost Leeds dearly in their fight against Premier League relegation. Like every other pundit who has discussed the red card incident, Garth Crooks felt it was extremely poor for such an experienced player to make that choice.
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After selecting Nketiah in his Team of the Week for BBC Sport, he said: “As for Leeds, they only have themselves to blame. Asking goalkeepers to manipulate the ball with their feet in situations that would have given Maradona problems is madness.
“I can only imagine how mindbogglingly stupid Luke Ayling must feel having left his team to play the rest of the game with 10 men after just 27 minutes. He stays on the field, Leeds come away with a result.”
Whilst Ayling remains a fan favourite at Leeds, those thoughts have been echoed by many members of the fanbase. Already struggling for leaders in the absence of Liam Cooper and Patrick Bamford, to be missing the first-choice right-back for the last three games of the season is far from ideal.
Jesse Marsch discussed the red card following the defeat: “Just a moment of poor judgment from him, but he's been an incredible part of what we've accomplished here so far since I've been here," said the Whites head coach.
“I'm disappointed for him and the team, but whatever, that's the situation, we have to accept it and we just have to move forward.”
