Leeds United may have lost 1-0 at home to Newcastle United on Saturday but journalist Phil Hay was full of praise for a revitalised Jack Harrison.

The Lowdown: Whites suffer damaging defeat

Marcelo Bielsa’s were hoping to kick on after their thrilling 3-2 win at West Ham last weekend, with the struggling Magpies making the trip to Elland Road.

Leeds were beaten by a Jonjo Shelvey free-kick, however, as the midfielder’s tame effort found its way through the hands of Illan Meslier.

The defeat puts doubts back in the minds of the Whites over a relegation battle, with just seven points now between them and the bottom three.

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The Latest: Hay praises Harrison

Taking to Twitter during the second half, Hay hailed a much-improved Harrison, following on from his heroic hat-trick at West Ham:

“Harrison’s having another very good game. Rediscovered his fizz and working Trippier hard.”

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The Verdict: Rare positive on the day

It was a bitterly disappointing result for Leeds but Harrison’s lively performance has to be seen as one of the few positives at Elland Road.

The winger is looking much more like his former self, as highlighted last weekend, and he arguably looked the most likely player to provide some inspiration on Saturday.

Harrison made two key passes against Newcastle, according to Sofascore, not to mention winning eight of his 14 ground duels – no other player won more than 5 – and making three tackles, in what was a strong all-round showing.

In other news, Phil Hay has made a positive Leeds injury claim. Read more here.