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Tom Coates

Danny Murphy brands Marcelo Bielsa's Raphinha decision a 'mistake'

Pundit Danny Murphy has insisted Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa made a mistake in substituting Raphinha at half-time in the 3-0 defeat to Everton.

The Argentine made the bold decision to withdraw the Brazil international at the interval and replace him with Tyler Roberts.

He has admitted the switch was a tactical one and was not forced by injury, prompting former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy to question the decision.

Speaking on BBC's Match of the Day, he said: "It was a mistake. He was playing alright, he was showing, he was causing [Jonjoe] Kenny a good few problems. Okay, he hadn't scored or set up a goal but you're 2-0 down in a game, you need your best player.

"Maybe he was setting an example for something he saw, an incident, but I didn't see enough in that first-half performance to warrant him being brought off. It was a really strange decision."

Leeds bounced back from a two-goal deficit to secure a 3-3 draw against Aston Villa in midweek but a comeback appeared unlikely in a lacklustre display against Everton.

The Toffees led by two goals after just 23 minutes courtesy of goals from defenders Seamus Coleman and Michael Keane.

Anthony Gordon compounded Leeds' misery in the second-half by extending the Toffees lead to three.

The hosts put Leeds under intense pressure in the early stages at Goodison Park and the Whites crumbled, leading to a comparison between the Everton approach and how Leeds have stunned sides in the past.

Murphy said: "This is what Frank Lampard's going to do, especially at home with Everton, they're going to get the fans behind them by pressing high, committing men forward.

"It can be risky against good teams but time and time again in the first 20 minutes, they kind of did to Leeds what Leeds have done to other teams in the past with the high energy."

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