Leeds United showed some encouraging signs in their defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend under Sam Allardyce, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Leeds United and Sam Allardyce?

Allardyce took charge of his first match with Leeds United last Saturday, with his side narrowly succumbing to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium by a score of 2-1, as per BBC Sport.

Despite Rodrigo Moreno halving a 2-0 deficit carved out by Ilkay Gundogan in the 85th minute, the Whites were unable to salvage anything from the game and lie in a perilous position as they look to maintain their Premier League status.

Leeds United sit 19th in the table with just three matches left to play and are two points off of Everton in 17th, who inflicted a hammer blow to their relegation rivals by picking up an unexpected 5-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday evening.

In their three remaining fixtures, Leeds United face a tough end-of-season run-in and are still to face Newcastle United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, as per Sky Sports.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Leeds United fans will have liked what they saw from their side against Manchester City despite losing the encounter.

Jones told FFC: "He's there for a few games [Allardyce], his job is to come out of it with his reputation intact and to have made a difference to this team. I thought the performance was okay. I mean, it's obviously a really difficult one to judge them on; they literally couldn't have had a harder fixture, but there are a few signs of positivity that I think the fans will like."

Can Sam Allardyce keep Leeds United in the Premier League?

Allardyce definitely has the experience of being able to keep teams in the Premier League; nevertheless, he only has a very brief window to get the best out of his Leeds United squad between now and the close of play.

His most famous great escapes came with Sunderland and Crystal Palace during spells at both clubs. However, there is an argument to say that saving his current employers would be an even greater achievement considering the short timeframe bestowed upon him to turn things round.

The 68-year-old spoke in the aftermath of last Saturday's defeat to BBC Sport, stating: "We take some hope out of today on the second-half performance. Not the first, but the second. We now need to build on that and try to get a result. I was slightly fearful, but we sorted it out for the second half and told them they were playing with too much fear. They needed to get on the front foot and try to challenge them. Apart from a silly penalty and a great save by Joel [Robles] that gave us a chance to go up the other end and score. When you see Man City running down the clock for four minutes at the end, you know you have given yourself a chance."

Undoubtedly, the veteran manager will be hoping his Leeds United side can harness some confidence from their display at the Etihad and try to put some much-needed points on the board in their last three Premier League games, starting with their tie against Newcastle United at Elland Road on Saturday.