Noel Whelan thinks that Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic was bullied by Leeds United centre-backs Ben White and Liam Cooper, and as a result cut a frustrated figure.
Mitrovic could not impact the Championship clash between the two teams at Elland Road as Leeds grabbed a 3-0 win over the Cottagers, which has left them with a mountain to climb to finish in the top two.
There was particular controversy around Mitrovic when he appeared to elbow White, sending the Leeds defender to the ground; Mitrovic was not punished and action could be taken against him retrospectively.
The Fulham striker was far from his best throughout the Championship fixture and looked frustrated on a number of occasions.
Whelan thinks that Mitrovic not playing well was nothing to do with him needing the atmosphere and the crowd to spur him on, but more due to the fact that he was bullied by White and Cooper, and had no answer.
"I don't think it's about the crowd today. I think the fact that he got bullied and outplayed by Ben White and by Liam Cooper, and he couldn't do anything about it", Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds post match.
"Sometimes you like to think you can fight your way out of a fight – he couldn't do it today.
"It was frustration. It was the realisation that he wasn't good enough against these defenders.
"He had nothing else to offer. Nothing was going his way. All because we turned the screw on them. He was like a little kid at times, you could see his shoulders go down, he was talking to himself, throwing his arms in the air.
"He lost concentration in the game, desire to be in the game", the former White added.
Leeds are now top of the Championship table after the win and boast an eight-point lead over third placed Brentford, while Fulham are two points further back in fourth.
