Identical goals in a 2-1 defeat for Manchester City might have understandably generated some frustration for Leeds United boss Sam Allardyce. Twice in the space of eight minutes, Riyad Mahrez would glide past Junior Firpo and onto his left foot before serving up two goals on a plate for Ilkay Gundogan.
Despite the similarity and predictability of Mahrez’s movements, Allardyce took any heat away from Firpo’s part in the goals. Instead, the new boss took the chance to remind everyone of how often the Algerian has been doing that to left-backs in the Premier League.
Rather than point the finger at Firpo, Allardyce made a point of stressing just how expensive a left-back capable of stopping Mahrez would be.
