Leeds United’s flying run suffered a setback prior to the international break when they lost 2-1 to Millwall at the Den. The Whites, having dropped to fifth in the Championship standings, had to uplift their display this afternoon at Elland Road against Birmingham City.
They had a difficult start but eventually managed to grind out a result thanks to a second-half strike from Kalvin Phillips which brought them back to winning ways. Below are the Leeds United players rated in their narrow 1-0 win against Birmingham City.
Kiko Casilla: 8
Was spot on with his timely saves to protect the goal and earned his clean sheet. Maintained a high passing accuracy and kept on playing the ball out from the back to execute Marcelo Bielsa’s strategy perfectly.
Luke Ayling: 7
Had a few nervy occasions down the right but settled in well and balanced his game between attack and defence to make an overall impact.
Ben White: 8
Made a crucial block to deny Álvaro Giménez minutes before the solitary goal of the game. The youngster has been a revelation in deep defence and showed why he is being lauded by many.
Gaetano Berardi: 7.5
Won his appeal after being sent off against Millwall in the previous gameweek. Maintained his calmness and composure against the likes of Gimenez and Lukas Jutkiewicz and helped the Whites secure all three points from this challenging outing.
Ezgjan Alioski: 7.5
Kept on creating chances from the left flank with his timely runs, crosses and cut insides. Forced Lee Camp into making a couple of saves and worked tirelessly throughout with dribbles, tackles and timely recoveries.
Kalvin Phillips: 8.5
Has improved immensely under Bielsa and made his mark with a neat finish after picking up Harrison’s pass. Kept on marshalling the backline and offered his presence high up the pitch as the game demanded.
Helder Costa: 6.5
Did not have many touches but impressed with his directness and intensity to create pressure in the Blues’ backline. Made way for Barry Douglas late in the game.
Stuart Dallas: 7.5
Opened up space spectacularly but failed to beat past Camp on one occasion. Missed the opportunity but delivered a stellar performance in the centre of the pitch with his tireless runs, combativity and smart link-up moves.
Mateusz Klich: 6.5
Lost a few duels but had a decent outing overall in keeping control of the midfield game. Looked a bit predictable with his moves in the second half and was eventually replaced by Tyler Roberts.
Jack Harrison: 7.5
Has been criticised recently for his underperformance. But the youngster made his mark this afternoon with his work ethics and played a massive role in Phillips’ goal. He won the ball on the edge of the Birmingham box and set it up for the Leeds’ homegrown prodigy to make it 1-0.
Patrick Bamford: 5.5
Failed to impress once again as he could not keep his efforts on target and was eventually taken off at half-time to be replaced by Eddie Nketiah.
Substitutes
Edward Nketiah: 6.5
Had a lively start following his inception and caused menace in the opponents’ defensive half with his pace, off the ball movements and positioning.
Tyler Roberts: 6.5
The youngster injected freshness in a tired midfield since coming on in place of Mateusz Klich.
Barry Douglas: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
