Leeds United secured three points when they hosted Blackburn Rovers at Elland Road as they won by two goals to one.
The game started off slow even though the Whites were dominating the possession. Blackburn were comfortable in defence up until the 20-25 minutes mark. Around the half-hour period, Gavin Ward brought down Ayling in the box and Bamford scored from the spot to make it 1-0 to the home team. Bamford then set up Harrison, who added the second goal with an excellent finish. Derrick Williams pulled one back for the Rovers as Leeds were sloppy while defending a corner. The score at half time read 2-1.
Leeds United were comfortable in the second half, to begin with, but the game got tense in the final quarter. The crowd had often seen the Whites give up their lead in the late stages of the game, but not this time as Bielsa’s men held on to a crucial win.
Here is how Leeds United fared on the day.
Kiko Casilla 6
Faced just the single shot on target which went in. Couldn’t have done much to prevent it. Did a fine job with his feet and his distribution was on point
Ben White 8
Read the dangers well and kept it tight at the back. Played with confidence and moved the ball forward well from the defence.
Liam Cooper 8
Was dominant in the air and won quite a few duels. His passing was assured. However, went off with an injury around the 70th minute which should be concerning for the team management.
Luke Ayling 7
Might have to take some blame for letting Williams score from a corner. However, did an excellent job on the attacking front and managed to win the penalty.
Stuart Dallas 7
Linked up play well with Harrison from time to time. Worked hard and was full of energy and commitment.
Kalvin Phillips 7.5
Controlled the game from midfield and was strong in a lot of 50-50 duels which allowed the Whites to dominate possession.
Mateusz Klich 6
Kept things simple and moved the ball back and forth. Could have been more incisive while playing forward passes. Steady but unspectacular.
Helder Costa 6.5
Another patchy performance from Costa but he had some good moments as well as he went on a good run in the second half. Did alright and hopefully a bit more to come from him in the future games.
Tyler Roberts 7.5
His energy in the middle was there for everyone to see. Worked hard and pressed well as he was almost a nagging presence whenever Blackburn got the ball in his zone. Always looked to make things happen and came close to scoring from a long-range effort in the end.
Jack Harrison 8
Has added the finishing touches to his game which has made him that more threatening in the final third. Scored with an impressive well-placed finish. However, could have got another in the second half.
Patrick Bamford 7
The goal drought of 10 games was finally over as he scored from the spot. Then he set up Harrison for Leeds United’s second. Lead the line well and created some decent chances. Faded as the game went on.
Substitutes
Gaetano Berardi 8
Was thrown into the game after Cooper’s injury and he saw out the one-goal lead with an assured performance.
Pablo Hernandez N/A
Wasn’t involved much after coming on
Leif Davis N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
