Leeds United entertained West Ham United at Elland Road earlier this afternoon as they focussed on picking up a positive result at home. The Whites made a great start to the game as they got their noses ahead in the 19th minute via Raphinha’s goal. The home side managed to protect their lead and went into the half-time break one goal to the good.
Junior Firpo scored an unfortunate own goal which handed West Ham the equalizer. Marcelo Bielsa’s men ended up suffering another loss after Michail Antonio completed the turnaround for the Hammers in the 90th minute. The contest ended with the West Yorkshire outfit enduring a narrow 2-1 loss in front of their home fans.
Let’s take a look at how each Leeds United player fared during the clash against the Hammers.
GK: Illan Meslier – 7.5/10
Meslier pulled off a few important saves to keep his team in control of the game. However, he will be disappointed after allowing two goals in the second half.
RB: Jamie Shackleton – 6.5/10
Shackleton cleared the danger when needed and made one good chance in the opposition half.
CB: Charlie Cresswell – 6/10
Cresswell made some important contributions at the back but it was not enough for his team to get anything from this game.
CB: Liam Cooper – 7/10
The Leeds United centre-back commanded his penalty area with authority and conviction. He even blocked a few shots to keep the Hammers frustrated for a lot of the game.
LB: Junior Firpo – 5.5/10
Firpo got stuck in with a few crunching tackles and was lively on the ball. However, he had the misfortune of scoring an own goal in the 67th minute.
CDM: Kalvin Phillips – 6/10
The English midfield ace struggled to get a foothold in the game and produced a lackluster display in the second half.
RM: Raphinha – 8.5/10
The Brazilian winger gave his team the lead in the 19th minute and was a constant nuisance for the West Ham defenders. He was by far the best Leeds player on the field today.
CM: Mateusz Klich – 7/10
Klich did not offer enough protection for his teammates at the back and was quite creative on the ball. He picked up an assist for setting up Raphinha’s goal.
CM: Stuart Dallas – 7/10
He tried his best to get forward and create problems for the West Ham defenders but Bielsa would have wanted more from him defensively during the game.
LM: Daniel James – 6/10
James hardly got a sniff at goal and got substituted at half-time.
ST: Rodrigo – 6/10
The Spaniard had his moments in front of the opposition goal but couldn’t convert any of his chances.
Substitutes:
LM: Jack Harrison – 6/10
Harrison never looked like he had a goal in him.
ST: Tyler Roberts – 6/10
He created one good chance after coming off the bench.
RW: Crysencio Summerville – N/A
Summerville hardly had any time to make an impact.
