Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has paid tribute to goalkeeper Kiko Casilla for his last-minute matchwinning save during the Whites' 1-0 win over Reading on Saturday, a chance Bielsa says he himself could have prevented.

Casilla - who has been an ever-present in the league for Leeds this season - has come under fire recently for some costly errors in recent weeks, but was on the right side of the headlines on Saturday, with the Spaniard coming up with a big save to deny Reading defender Liam Moore as the Royals sent men forward went in search of an equaliser.

Speaking after the game, Bielsa admitted he felt he could have done more to prevent that threat, and as such was thankful for Casilla getting him out of a hole, as he told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "There was a situation in the last minute for them, I should have done something to resolve it.

"The number six became a striker, that created confusion that maybe I could have solved from the bench. It was this player who had a clear chance in the last minute."

It seems the significance of that contribution to Casilla as an individual has not gone unnoticed by Bielsa, as he continued: "[Casilla] had a very important impact on the result. Sometimes we were better than the opponent and he conceded goals that had an impact on the result in previous matches.

"Today it was the opposite. His save had an impact in our favour."

Following that win over Reading, Leeds are now five points clear of the play-off places in the race for automatic promotion, with 12 games of the season remaining.

The Verdict

You have to wonder how big a moment this could be for Casilla and Leeds.

The Spaniard has made some costly errors in recent weeks that simply haven't helped his side's cause, nor his confidence you feel.

This contribution on Saturday however, and the acknowledgement from Bielsa, ought to go some way to putting that right, meaning Casilla may now be able to push on from this to help Leeds to promotion.

However, with a decision over the racial abuse charge against him seemingly imminent, you wonder if there could soon be other issues that prevent Casilla from playing his part in the race for the top two over the coming weeks.