"We are not" - Ethan Ampadu on Leeds United's defeat to Aston Villa with Whites admission and vow
Whites captain Ethan Ampadu has given his verdict on Leeds United’s 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa.
Ethan Ampadu has made a determined Leeds United following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa which left his Whites in the Premier League dropzone after 12 games played.
Leeds went into Sunday’s contest having fallen into the bottom three on goal difference after Saturday’s results and Ampadu says United’s thought process was to “return to what we know” in a bid to regain the winning thread.
Daniel Farke’s Whites put themselves on course to do so as Lukas Nmecha scrambled home an eighth-minute opener as Leeds took a 1-0 lead into the break.
Villa, though, levelled just three minutes after the restart through Morgan Rogers for a goal that Ampadu admitted gave Villa momentum which was added to when Rogers scored what proved the winning goal with a 75th-minute free kick.
Speaking post match, Ampadu admitted his side could have done better with the goals conceded but vowed that his men would not shy away from the challenge presented by the level of football in England’s top flight.
“That is nothing to shy away from. We have to own that”
Speaking exclusively to Premier League Productions and as quoted by Leeds United’s official website, Ampadu said: “Our thought process was to get back what we know and how we win games.
“We started like that in the first half and we had that sort of momentum going in at half-time.
“We wanted to go out again and do the same thing. We didn’t, they got their goal and in the Premier League it is hard to get the momentum back.
“We pushed. We wanted to play our way throughout to the very end. As I said, just before that, as a team we can do better with the goals we conceded.
“Every game is hard but that is nothing to shy away from. We have to own that. We have to enjoy that. I think if you ask anyone, we are all in this together.
“That has got us here and we have worked so hard for it. So now is not the time to turn on anyone. It is about staying together.
“We want to play against the best teams in the world and we want to show ourselves. We are not going to shy away from anything.”