Despite not being their best of late, Leeds United had yet another opportunity to regain the top of the table spot ahead of their outing against Wigan at DW Stadium. The Whites, under iconic Marcelo Bielsa, emerged as one of the prime contenders to earn a Premier League promotion but failed to stretch the gap following a series of unfavourable outcomes. The encounter this afternoon was supposed to be entertaining, and it turned out to be one where the visitors came back from behind to clinch a 2-1 win to reclaim their status at the top of the Championship table.
Below are the Leeds United players rated in their stunning win against Wigan Athletic.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell: 5
His wall and positioning were all over the place, and the young custodian must take the blame for conceding an early goal from Reece James’ free-kick. Was not troubled much since then and must thank his teammates who ensured a comeback.
Stuart Dallas: 7
Barry Douglas’s return from injury relieved Dallas from his left-back duties. However, the fresh injury blow of Luke Ayling forced Marcelo Bielsa to slot him down the right-hand side, and the Northern Irishman played with high confidence as well as composure to balance his game in both defensive line and the attacking third.
Pontus Jansson: 8
His towering presence at the back allowed Leeds to maintain their resilience at the back when the hosts were going all in to find an equaliser in closing minutes. Won the duels, made a few no-nonsense clearances and was spot on with his tackles, blocks and interceptions throughout the game.
Liam Cooper: 6.5
His foul on Joe Garner outside the box allowed Wigan to earn an early lead from a free-kick. The skipper was combative in deep defence but managed to ease the pressure off banking on his experience.
Barry Douglas: 7.5
Had some nervy moments against Nathan Byrne down the left, but the Scotsman took little time to settle in since returning from his injury layoff and played his part in Leeds’ equaliser a couple of minutes into the Latics’ opener.
Kalvin Phillips: 7.5
Played slightly deeper than usual but did well to marshall the backline and also slotted in the deep defence at times to deal with the opponents’ pressure.
Pablo Hernandez: 8.5
Outstanding once again as he found the net to equalise in early minutes and also played his part in Roofe’s winner. Kept on whipping in crosses from the right flank all afternoon and created plenty of chances inside the box which, however, were denied by the Wigan defence.
Mateusz Klich: 8
Continued his sublime form as he found Hernandez inside the box which the latter made no mistake in making it 1-1 within ten minutes into the game. Kept on orchestrating moves from behind with his strong distribution skill and defence-splitting through balls. Was replaced by Jamie Shackleton in the closing minutes of the game.
Adam Forshaw: 7.5
Was strong, resilient and kept on dominating possession in the middle of the park. Showcased his shooting skills forcing Christian Walton to make a stunning stop and also linked up well with Hernandez to trouble the Wigan defence.
Ezgjan Alioski: 7
The Macedonian threatened from the left flank with his crosses, cut insides and one-twos with Klich and Roofe in and around the box.
Kemar Roofe: 8
Continued his scoring form as he found the net seconds into the second half capitalising on Walton’s howler in Wigan goal. Looked purposeful whenever he had the ball and worked hard to combine with fellow attackers upfront.
Substitutes
Jamie Shackleton: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
