Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell says his side have set the standard after their Carabao Cup performance against Leeds United last night.

Despite losing the game 3-0 Crewe put in a good performance conceding their first goal in the 79th minute scored by Kalvin Phillips and regardless of this, Crewe remained well in the game until the final five minutes when Jack Harrison added two goals to give the Premier League side their victory.

Artell was happy with his side's performance and speaking to the club's official media he said: "Leeds are a magnificent Premier League club and to go to Elland Road and survive a couple of blocks and a header from Phillips in the first half and then a couple of blocks in the second half until the 77th minute is good going.

"We gave a good account of ourselves and on another day, if the corner isn't given because I actually thought it shouldn't have been then that clock goes into the last 10 minutes."

Despite an impressive display against the Premier League opposition, Crewe have had a slow start to their season in League One having picked up only one point and they find themselves in the relegation zone.

However after last night's performance, the Crewe boss thinks they could be ready to push on in the league. He said: "What we have to do now is make sure that it kick starts our season. They have set the standard and it doesn't matter where we go, Charlton, Shrewsbury or whoever next, we have to play like that. If we play like that in League One then we will be fine."

The Verdict:

Crewe delivered an impressive display against Premier League opposition in last night's Carabao Cup tie and although Leeds United ran away with it in the final ten minutes, the result wasn't a reflection of the first eighty minutes of the evening. The League One players will no doubt be proud of their performance and how long they held on.

Tuesday night's performance is a clear sign that Crewe do have the quality to go up against some strong sides and make a game out of it. This performance is sure to give the players a confidence boost they need to try and deliver similar performances going forward.

Crewe's start to the season hasn't been ideal but Artell will be hoping that his players can remain at this high standard in the league and find their first three points of the season as they face two other sides in the relegation zone this bank holiday weekend.