'Punished us' - Leeds United ace makes candid confession in intriguing Championship title race

It did not matter in the end. But Leeds United produced an uncharacteristically sloppy defensive performance at Middlesbrough last night.

The Whites boast the meanest defence in the Championship but shipped in three against Boro. Goalkeeper Illan Meslier looked uncomfortable at times and Middlesbrough's forward line frequently troubled United's back four.

Yet United showed their mettle to grind out three more valuable points in the race for automatic promotion. Over to you, Leicester City.

Read more: National media spot Leeds United 'vulnerabilities' at Middlesbrough that could ruin promotion bid

Captain Ethan Ampadu described the Middlesbrough result as "massive" but told Sky Sports: "I will be honest as defenders and the whole team, we would probably like to make it a little bit easier but we played against a very good team. They (Middlesbrough) showed how good they are on the ball, especially in the second half.

"We defended a lot around the edge of our box for 20 to 25 minutes. We showed a little bit of composure and got a goal. At this stage, it's a massive win but we have still got two more to go."

Former United defender Jon Newsome criticised Meslier's showing, branding him "calamity Joe between the sticks". It was a difficult evening for the Frenchman.

But Ampadu, an ever-present in the league this year, feels United have to defend better as a defensive unit in the final two matches to seal a top-two finish. He said: "We are always confident that we can defend well; we are disappointed with the three goals we conceded. They punished us. As a team, I think we can look back on it and we could have defended it a bit better and me personally as well."