Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan says the Whites switching off in the early stages of the second half killed them at QPR.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of QPR on Tuesday at Loftus Road after an insipid and lacklustre display in the second half.
The Whites failed to make the best use of an opportunity to return to the summit of the league table after Luke Freeman’s goal, shortly after the half time interval proved to be the difference between the sides.
And in the aftermath of their shock defeat away from home, Whelan has admitted the loss would have been damaging to the Whites, considering the opposition were not the best of sides after losing all of their last seven games in the Championship.
The former White also pointed to Leeds’ sluggish start to the second half as the reason that killed their chances of winning the game they thoroughly dominated during the first 45 minutes.
“The loss against a very poor QPR side will be damaging to them”, Whelan told BBC Radio Leeds.
“This game was right here to win. This isn't a very good QPR side, it really isn't.
“We had that game comfortably in our grasp at the end of the first 45 minutes, even though we hadn't scored, we commanded it.
“We needed more of the same, a bit more intensity, a bit more aggression, a bit more quality in the second half and we were asleep for the first three crucial minutes of that second half.
"That's what's killed us and we could not come back from that.
“We've had opportunities, loads of opportunities, that's what's killed us, that finishing touch, that bit of quality, that ruthlessness in front of goal.”
Leeds will next face promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion at Elland Road on Friday in the Championship.
