“The Brutal Way Southampton Clawed Their Way Back to the Premier League – You Won’t Believe What They Did to Leeds”

Troy Deeney has criticized several Leeds United players for their lack of respect and poor attitude following their disappointing Championship play-off final defeat to Southampton.

The Whites suffered another heartbreak in the playoff format, losing their first Wembley appearance since the 2007 League One play-off final against Doncaster Rovers. Despite starting brightly, Leeds conceded the lead when Adam Armstrong finished calmly after being picked out by Will Smallbone. Although Daniel Farke’s side pushed for an equalizer, with Daniel James hitting the crossbar, their efforts proved futile as Southampton held on to secure Premier League promotion.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Deeney accused some Leeds players of showing disrespect towards their opponents, drawing parallels to his own Wembley experiences. “When you want your big players and your leaders to step up, they went missing,” Deeney said.

“I am not going to name names, but you stand here and you can see how people react after. I have lost here 6-0 to Man City, that was a drubbing. You have got to stand there, in a line, clap your opponents (and say) ‘well done, the better team won’. Show a bit of humility, a bit of respect.”

When former Leeds manager Neil Warnock questioned who the leaders were in the squad, Deeney criticized the attitude of “four or five” players, saying: “Four or five of them over the other side, laughing and joking.”

Deeney also questioned the desire of one player who should have been in the box in the 97th minute but was instead the second furthest man back, suggesting a lack of commitment. “It felt like three or four of those players were playing this game for them and it was, ‘I am probably not going to be here next year, so let’s show how good I am’.”

Warnock praised Southampton for being the better side and acknowledged the key moment when Farke likely realized it wasn’t going to be Leeds’ day, following James’ effort hitting the crossbar. However, Warnock also commended Farke for the brilliant job he has done at the club.