Leeds United suffered their second consecutive defeat this afternoon against relegation rivals Everton at Goodison Park, and the Elland Road hierarchy will be feeling the pressure as the club fell into the relegation zone following the 1-0 loss.

The Whites are now 19th in the Premier League table after handing Everton all three points to help them move out of the bottom three, and they now find themselves two points deep in the relegation zone ahead of their clash against Southampton next weekend.

Despite having equal possession with their opponents (50%), Leeds failed to register a single shot on target and had fewer shots on goal (8 v 15), fewer accurate passes (266 v 290) and lost possession of the ball 174 times, all contributing to their uninspiring performance on Merseyside.

With so much at stake in this must-win clash for both teams, the game got off to a nervous start at Goodison Park, with neither team offering too much to worry about in the final third as they tried to scope each other out. It amounted to nothing more than missed opportunities and two yellow cards for Leeds, with Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie booked.

It was much of the same in the opening minutes of the second half, but travelling Leeds fans had their worst fears confirmed when Everton captain Seamus Coleman found the net in the 64th minute, a goal which was enough for Sean Dyche’s team to claim all three points in the relegation six-pointer.

Skubala will be frustrated following the disappointing defeat as several players failed to step up with their performances, with breakout star Wilfried Gnonto putting on one of his worst performances in a white shirt since joining Leeds last year.

How did Gnonto play against Everton?

It is no secret that Gnonto has been one of the standout performers in the team over the season so far despite the troubles that the club have faced, scoring four times in 15 games for Leeds, but today’s display against Everton was one that the talented teenager will want to forget fast.

Indeed, Beren Cross labelled it ‘the quietest display he has produced since breaking into the team’ in his player ratings piece for Leeds Live, awarding the youngster a paltry 4/10.

During his 90 minutes on the pitch, the 19-year-old – who was “struggling” according to journalist Leon Wobschall – had fewer touches of the ball (48) than goalkeeper Illan Meslier (59), lost eight duels and failed to complete 100% of his crosses, along with having no shots on goal and losing possession of the ball 18 times.

Gnonto’s nightmare against the Toffees is a testament to how desperate Leeds will be to appoint a permanent manager who can bring some identity back into the West Yorkshire club in their remaining 15 league fixtures.

The week ahead will be monumental for the powerbrokers at Elland Road in their pursuit of a new head coach, with it being almost a fortnight since Jesse Marsch’s sacking and a simply must-win clash at home to Southampton, who had an impressive win at Chelsea today, coming up next Saturday.

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