Paul Heckingbottom hurting after Leeds concede late goal to Derby



Posted Thursday, February 22, 2018 by PA

Paul Heckingbottom hurting after Leeds concede late goal to Derby

Leeds head coach Paul Heckingbottom admitted he was “hurting” after Derby scored a last-gasp goal to draw 2-2 at Pride Park.

Heckingbottom was ready to celebrate his first victory in charge of Leeds when substitute Kasey Palmer stabbed home in stoppage time.

Leeds had gone in front against the run of play in the 34th minute when Stuart Dallas crossed from the right and Pierre-Michel Lasogga headed in from close range.

Tom Lawrence rattled the Leeds bar but Andreas Weimann scored in first half stoppage time when Liam Cooper could only head a Tom Huddlestone pass behind him.

Leeds had to defend for long periods in the second half but they scored on the break in the 79th minute when Samuel Saiz marked his return from a six game ban by playing in Ezgjan Alioski who netted the rebound after Scott Carson saved.

But Leeds could not see the match out and when the ball was lobbed into the box in the second minute of added time, Palmer pounced as defenders hesitated.

“It does hurt,” Heckingbottom said. “I’m feeling it for the players if I’m honest, they are flat in there, they’re down but they’ve got to come out with their heads held high.

“I’m stood there thinking about how well they’ve done and the things I want to show them that’s won them the game and then to get caught at the end is disappointing, it’s sickening.

“But I’ve looked back through the season and that has been the trend. At the minute we are working really hard for our goals and giving soft ones away at the other end.

“I said to the players we think we should have had more points from the last three games but we haven’t and we’ve got to be ready for the next game.”

Derby manager Gary Rowett said: “First half is as well as we’ve played for a long time, we were really dominant and to concede the goal in the way we did was a real slap in the chops.

“We switched off massively and in the last couple of games we’ve let in two goals where we’ve defended poorly and that’s not been something you would associate with us previously.

“It just feels at the moment that we are so desperate to score we are snatching at things and have lost that bit of composure on front of goal.

“To come back shows great character but at the moment every game we draw feels like we lost because we are at that stage of the season but it’s only one defeat in 14 and we’ve played really well again.”

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