A look at this morning's Leeds United headlines on Friday, April 21.
Former referee blasts VAR's Trent Alexander-Arnold decision
Former referee Keith Hackett believes VAR's decision not to rule out Liverpool's opener at Elland Road was poor officiation and a clear free-kick. The Whites were thumped 6-1 by the Reds, but had were steadfast for 35 minutes of the game.
Junior Firpo tried to knock the ball round Trent Alexander-Arnold, the ball hitting his hand and Liverpool breaking to score. Hackett told Football Insider: "I just think it was poor officiating. It was a clear handball, and it impacted the game.
“As for the excuse of it being too far back. It’s not like we were going back into the other half, or the halfway line – it happened just before the goal.
READ MORE: Leeds United told they're missing 'valuable' Max Wober amid defensive 'disarray'
“VAR should have come in, there’s no question. Craig Pawson was looking straight at it. Why has he not given it?
"He’s stopped the ball going past him. It’s a poor bit of refereeing and it’s a poor excuse from the PGMOL after the game.”
Four things Leeds United have over their relegation rivals that will give them confidence
It's been a tough week for Leeds United and understandably so. After what would've been two difficult losses to swallow, it's imperative that Javi Gracia gets his men back with the right mindset for the rest of the season.
If the Whites allow these results to derail their season, it's going to get ugly quickly - and time is not something they can afford with the relegation battle they find themselves in the middle of.
So what do Leeds and Gracia still have left in the tank, and how can they still pull away from the scrappy dogfight at the bottom of the table?
Leeds United dressing room's unacceptable actions must now face the music and accept its critics
Critics have to be accepted inside Leeds United’s dressing room for the unacceptable traits they have demonstrated recently, but Javi Gracia has faith these players will turn it around. The head coach admits he can relate to where the supporters are coming from when they question the desire of his players, but he can only stress the hurt he sees on their faces in training every day.
While a 10-1 aggregate deficit across the last three halves of football is ringing alarm bells, Gracia has called for perspective on what the first six-and-a-half matches under him brought. That proof of this group of players doing that under his leadership reassures Gracia they can get back to that place.
Gracia had been asked how he has gone about getting a reaction from his players after the recent thrashings. In March 2019, he told The Sunday Times: “In Spanish, we say it is better to put red one time than 20 times orange.
“To say no, no, no, like this, like this. Boom. One time. Red. Be direct, be clear and then they know, but I try to be calm. The more you shout, the less players listen."
Leeds United star Weston McKennie's hilarious correction to Brenden Aaronson's 'football' slip
Leeds United star Brenden Aaronson suffered an embarrassing slip of the tongue earlier this week by calling the sport 'football' instead of 'soccer' - something that teammate Weston McKennie quickly corrected him on.
It's no secret that there's been a lot of U.S involvement in recent years at Elland Road, with the club's minority owners being the San Francisco 49ers and having the likes of Aaronson, McKennie and Tyler Adams lacing their boots up every weekend.
But while sending a good luck message to his USMNT teammates, who drew 1-1 with Mexico in a friendly last night, Aaronson made a slight mistake - at least in the eyes of an American audience.
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