It had to end at some point. A 13-game unbeaten run at the start of the season is pretty much unheard of, and the current Leeds squad isn't so much better than the rest of League One that it was guaranteed to maintain an unbeaten record. Still, Leeds deserve some credit: they were by far the better team in the first half of the match, and went into the changing rooms 1-0 up. A sloppy second half, coupled with a Carlisle performance that honestly looked like it was coming from a completely different team, brought an end to the longest unbeaten run in English football and the dreams of Leeds fans around the world. But is it really that bad?
Now, though, I think it's important to be realistic. That we lost is unimportant - every team loses from time to time, and losing a match while away at the league leaders would, for any other team, be a fairly unremarkable thing. The trouble is that Leeds are - indisputably - the best team in League One and, prior to this match, were regarded by a lot of smaller clubs as nigh-on invincible. Of course, losing to Carlisle isn't exactly a dreadful loss, but the psychological blow to Leeds (and boon to the rest of League One) could be dangerous. What Leeds need, more than anything, is to wipe the floor with Bournemouth in tonight's game. If Leeds can enter the game with the same confidence and determination they've shown throughout this season, hammering Bournemouth shouldn't present much of a problem. A setback tonight, though, could be disastarous to Leeds's confidence and ability to continue to mount their title challenge. I, for one, am bloody nervous.