‘Something you would see in a park on a Sunday’: Steve Bruce laments Newcastle United and VAR defense after Leeds United defeat

The Whites scored three goals in the final 13 minutes to win 5-2, a Stuart Dallas header that forced Newcastle to chase the match, which in turn allowed Leeds to hit him on the counter through Gjanni Alioski and Jack Harrison. .

Bruce felt that the scoreboard did not reflect most of the Elland Road encounter. The visitors outscored Jeff Hendrick in the first half but were down 2-1 after half an hour, Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo finding the net. Ciaran Clark equalized with a header from a corner, but Leeds kept control and ultimately won.

“Until the last 12 minutes or whatever, I thought we gave everything that we received and it could work out,” Bruce said.

“Unfortunately we have been punished and given bad goals. When you give bad goals at this level, in two or three minutes, it is difficult to swallow.”

His team’s defense was the main source of Bruce’s affliction after the game.

“I will let others judge, but until 75 minutes I felt comfortable. Leeds will always ask you questions with their way of playing, they do very well but we have given them goals, something that you see in a park on a Sunday and it is unacceptable” , said.

“I will not do [the club’s recent Covid-19 outbreak] an excuse. We made sure we were fresh enough, we just hit two, three bad goals. It is difficult to analyze it. Leeds caused us problems all night, but we showed some resistance and looked at a threat the other way. We have not defended ourselves well enough and we have been punished.

“We have chased the game and got caught, you can’t do that. The last 10 minutes mask what the rest of the game was. Yes, we clashed sometimes, but we still carry a threat.

“We have to improve defensively. The third goal in particular when we have given the ball away cheaply in our own area. We have to defend better than what we did today.”

Bruce was also disappointed by the lack of action in a Liam Cooper challenge in the Leeds area, Callum Wilson fell under the attention of the Leeds captain.

The incident took place with the score at 2-2 and Bruce was left wondering what could have been if the VAR had intervened.

“Honestly, I was in favor of VAR when they brought it in to make sure the clear and obvious mistakes the referee misses, that’s what it’s for,” he said.

“If anyone looks at the challenge it is a clear penalty. We may not have won, but when you go up to the Premier League and take the lead, the result could have been very different.”