Was Kalvin Phillips’s red card a blessing for Leeds?

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It certainly seemed to add insult to injury when Kalvin Phillips was sent off during the final stages of Leeds United’s defeat to Queens Park Rangers last month. 

The Whites were heading for a 1-0 loss after an incredibly controversial goal. And Phillips seemed to let his frustration get the better of him by flying into a challenge that was deserving of a red.

Phillips took to social media after the game to apologise. And he pledged to do everything he could upon his return from a three-game suspension to make up for the mistake.

Leeds did miss the 24-year-old. Marcelo Bielsa’s side won their first game without Phillips, but then lost the next two.

In fairness, the defeat to Wigan seemed destined to happen whether Phillips was there or not. Leeds did more than enough to win that game, but could not find the back of the net and then conceded a freak goal.

Nevertheless, his return was clearly a huge positive ahead of the games with Brentford and Bristol City last week.

And based on the two performances he has produced, perhaps it would now be fair to say that the red card could have been a blessing in disguise for Leeds.

Phillips has been a revelation under Bielsa. But, like many of his teammates, his form seemed to dip slightly around the turn of the year – barring one superb display against Arsenal in the FA Cup.

However, he has produced two masterclasses in the two games since his return.

He was arguably the man of the match against the Robins on Saturday. And he helped ensure that Brentford’s usually-devastating front three were kept incredibly quiet at Griffin Park previously.

The promotion-chasers may ultimately rue losing Phillips for three games. But the Phillips who has played in Leeds’s last two games looks even more like the kind of player who could see Bielsa’s men across the line this season.