'Mad at myself' - Brenden Aaronson's honest admission after controversial Leeds United incident vs Newcastle
The Leeds United man scored twice at Newcastle but played a decisive role in one of the hosts’ late goals.
Leeds United’s Brenden Aaronson admits he was punished for switching off briefly and conceding a penalty during his side’s 4-3 defeat at Newcastle United.
Aaronson was at the heart of a seven-goal Premier League classic on Wednesday evening, scoring twice but conceding an ultimately crucial late penalty. The American made it three goals in four days with a pair of brilliant finishes, the latter putting Leeds 3-2 up with just 10 minutes to play.
But as second-half added-time arrived, the midfielder rushed out to block a Lewis Hall cross and handled the ball in his own box, with referee Michael Salisbury pointing to the spot. A devastated Aaronson attempted to plead he was outside the 18-yard area but replays showed he was just inside when contact was made.
Bruno Guimaraes buried the subsequent spot-kick before Harvey Barnes netted the winner 12 minutes into added-time, sinking anyone in the blue shirt to their knees. Daniel Farke was irked by the penalty decision immediately after full-time but the man who conceded it took a more philosophical view.
"Of course I am devastated, it's annoying when you score two and mentally I turned off for a minute and I know I can't lift my hand like this around the box,” Aaronson told Match of the Day. “It's football at the end of the day.
“Of course, I am mad at myself but I think we could have done better defending on a couple of occasions. To come here and go up three times in a row and almost tie and almost win the game shows how good this team is and we need to keep going from here."
Brenden Aaronson reacts to Leeds United defeat
Leeds never looked particularly sure of themselves defensively when ahead, with Newcastle continually piling on the pressure, roared on by their own support. Poor game-management proved to be crucial with an unfortunate handball and some poor goalkeeping, with Lucas Perri almost diving over Barnes’ latest of late winners.
Defeat will sting for some time but Leeds remain eight points clear of the relegation zone, having gone seven unbeaten before Wednesday. Farke admitted if that streak were to end, he’d want his side to go down swinging and that certainly happened at St James’ Park.
"In this league, if you take five minutes off the other team is so good that they score,” Aaronson added. “We absorb a bit too much in moments and take our foot off the gas, but the way we are playing at the minute, to come here and almost win and tie, is unbelievable and we just need to go from here."
Leeds aren’t in Premier League action for another nine days with this weekend set aside for FA Cup third round commitments. Aaronson and his teammates will head to the home of an old Championship foe on Sunday having been drawn against Derby County, with rotation expected coming out of a hectic winter schedule.