Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has warned that the Whites need to be careful what they wish for during the FA Cup third round draw, following their heavy defeat to West Brom on Saturday.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men suffered a demoralising defeat at the Hawthorns on Saturday in the Championship as the hosts registered an emphatic 4-1 win over Leeds.
| Season | Position |
|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 14th |
| 2023–24 | 9th |
| 2022–23 | 14th |
| 2021–22 | 7th |
| 2020–21 | 6th |
| Season | Position |
|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 16th |
| 2023–24 | 14th |
| 2022–23 | 13th |
| 2021–22 | 10th |
| 2020–21 | 13th |
All the goals came during the second half as the Whites failed to retain their place at the top of the table while succumbing to a drubbing at the hands of their promotion rivals.
Leeds slipped down to third in the league table ahead of the international break and Whelan thinks they now have a rough idea of what teams that played in the Premier League could offer against them.
“I just feel like there was a great opportunity there for them to test themselves against this team [West Brom]”, Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds.
“We keep going on about an FA Cup draw, do we want it, yes we want to test ourselves against a Premier League side.
“Well, that is kind of like a weakened Premier League side and we've just been battered 4-1.”
The second round draw for the FA Cup will take place on Monday night, but Leeds will enter the competition at the third round stage.
| Season | Position |
|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 9th (Championship) |
| 2023–24 | 5th (Championship — lost in play‑off semi‑finals) |
| 2022–23 | 9th (Championship) |
| 2021–22 | 10th (Championship) |
| 2020–21 | 19th (Premier League) |
