Leeds United were back on the road this afternoon after a thrilling victory last weekend against Millwall. The outing against struggling Birmingham City at St. Andrew’s was trickier than most of the Whites’ away ties this season due to the presence of ex-gaffer Garry Monk in the opposition dugout.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men have staged late comebacks time and again. However, they failed to do so this time as they suffered a disastrous 1-0 defeat to jeopardise the hope of clinching automatic promotion.
Below are the Leeds United players rated in their against Birmingham City.
Kiko Casilla: 7
Returned to action between the sticks after serving his one-game suspension. But, failed to secure a result for his side. The Spaniard could have done little to deny Che Adams’ strike from distance around the half-hour mark which proved to be the decider. Made some majestic saves to keep his side in the game but saw his efforts go in vain at the end.
Luke Ayling: 7
Made some ambitious runs down the right flank as he tried to help his side turn things around. Lost some duels and was out of position at the back on quite a few occasions while making desperate attempts to find an equaliser.
Pontus Jansson: 5
Struggled against Lukas Jutkiewicz both physically as well as aerially and never looked convincing against the Blues’ swift movements high up the pitch.
Liam Cooper: 5.5
The skipper had a difficult time against the pace of Che Adams who troubled the visitors with his tricky runs, swift skills and constant movement in and around the box.
Ezgjan Alioski: 7
Was lively down the left flank and kept on whipping crosses from the wide areas. His long balls were purposeful, but the lack of creative spark inside the box let the Whites down at St. Andrew’s.
Kalvin Phillips: 7.5
Was combative and dealt with the pressure well banking on his smart positioning, ability to hold the ball and physicality to win the possession back. Tried to offer his presence upfront with down the middle runs.
Pablo Hernandez: 5.5
Although inspired Leeds to secure a result against Millwall last week, the veteran Spaniard could not make a similar impact this afternoon. Failed with his dribbling attempts and through balls as Monk successfully stopped him from causing menace in the Birmingham backline.
Tyler Roberts: 6
Roberts, too, was well-contained by the hosts and got dispossessed repeatedly while trying to create chances in the attacking third. His runs were restricted, therefore, could not contribute much while attempting to react after conceding against the run of play.
Mateusz Klich: 6
Worked hard but his passes were predictable, and attempts lacked imagination. Was taken off to be replaced by Jack Clarke midway through the second half.
Jack Harrison: 5
Had a disappointing first-half as he only managed to make seven successful passes in 45 minutes of football. Made way for Stuart Dallas during the break.
Patrick Bamford: 5.5
Hit the woodwork from a close range seconds before Adams’ winner. Struggled to get involved in the game during the second half and was eventually replaced by Kemar Roofe who returned from a long injury layoff.
Substitutes
Stuart Dallas: 6
Had a positive impact since getting introduced at half-time as he created a few chances from the wide areas.
Kemar Roofe: 5.5
Returned from an injury but could not get his name back in the scoresheet after a not-so-impressive twenty minutes of football.
Jack Clarke: 5.5
Tried to use his pace to trouble the hosts. However, failed to make any notable contribution late in the game.
