A win over bottom-placed Ipswich Town put Leeds United back on top of the Championship standings. They were back in action again this evening at Elland Road and had a tricky contest against Nottingham Forest who made some serious strides since Aitor Karanka’s appointment as the new boss. Marcelo Bielsa, the Whites chief, had some relief following the return of Pablo Hernandez and Kemar Roofe after weeks of injury absence, but the outing in front of the home crowd ended in disappointment despite grabbing a late equaliser. The hosts only managed a 1-1 draw and once again failed to keep hold of the top spot in the Championship table.
Below are the Leeds United players rated in their draw against Nottingham Forest.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell: 6.5
Conceded early in the first half from a corner but was not troubled otherwise all throughout. Decent with his distribution skills that often helped his teammates form attacking moves from the middle of the park.
Luke Ayling: 6
Was down hurt and forced to leave the pitch before settling in. Was replaced by Tom Pearce and the gaffer must be hoping for a speedy recovery to deal with the defensive conundrum.
Pontus Jansson: 7
Was unlucky to concede from a corner once again and must work on defending set-pieces. Jansson was solid otherwise with accurate tackling traits, interceptions and clearances. Also won most of the duels but should be the man in charge with utmost concentration while defending corners.
Liam Cooper: 6.5
The skipper had a couple of failed tackling attempts, otherwise, he was well-positioned and made a few no-nonsense clearances. Should have been better with his passing at times. However, kept on winning duels and impressed with his intercepting attributes.
Stuart Dallas: 5.5
Started as a makeshift left-back and fumbled while marking Jack Robinson who headed home from Joe Lolley’s corner. Offered little in attack too and the fans missed the service of te reliable Barry Douglas (out with a hamstring strain) once more.
Kalvin Phillips: 6
The youngster did not have a comfortable outing as he lost possession, mistimed tackles and struggled to win duels at times. Tried to help out the attackers to find the net but failed to offer much either and was eventually got replaced by Samuel Saiz in the second half.
Pablo Hernandez: 6.5
Had an instant impact against Ipswich but could not guide his side to script a win this time. Saw his effort from distance denied by Costel Pantilimon minutes after Forest’s opener and was disappointing from set-pieces throughout the game.
Adam Forshaw: 7
Started the game in place of Samuel Saiz and made an impact with his runs, through balls and work ethics. Looked purposeful whenever he had the ball on his feet and kept on creating chances high up the pitch.
Mateusz Klich: 7.5
The Poland international continued his stunning impact as he played his part in Roofe’s late equalizer that helped the Whites recover a point. Had a couple of successful dribbles and caused all sorts of problems for the Forest defence.
Ezgjan Alioski: 6.5
Blasted his efforts wide and could not offer enough from the left flank in spite of whipping in a few crosses. Was fouled repeatedly and the visitors did not allow him to cut inside and terrorize inside the box.
Kemar Roofe: 7.5
Missed a golden opportunity in the first half but restored the parity by notching one in closing minutes to avoid a shocking defeat.
Substitutes
Tom Pearce: 6
Came in place of Ayling in early minutes but was replaced by Jack Clarke midway through the second half which seemed to be a tactical switch.
Samuel Saiz: 6.5
Had a decent cameo as he successfully piled the pressure up in closing minutes to salvage something from the home fixture.
Jack Clarke: 6
Looked lively with his movements, runs and passing. Holds a bright future and must keep up his good work to become a regular in the long run.
