Leeds United locked horns with West Ham United at the London Stadium earlier today as they hoped to grind out a result on the road. The Whites made a great start to the game as they took the lead in the tenth minute courtesy of Jack Harrison’s goal. However, Jarrod Bowen equalised for the Hammers in the 34th minute when he found the back of the net with a good header. It was Harrison who struck again for Leeds just three minutes later as he scored with a poked finish. The Yorkshire outfit went into the half-time break with a narrow 2-1 lead.
Pablo Fornals equalised for West Ham just seven minutes into the second half with a composed finish. Harrison completed his hattrick with a chipped finish in the 60th minute to put Leeds 3-2 ahead on the day. The Whites hung on to their narrow advantage and secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory at East London.
Let’s take a look at how each Leeds United player performed during the match against the Hammers.
GK: Illan Meslier – 6.5/10
He made a few solid saves at the back to limit the Hammers from scoring more than two goals during the 90 minutes.
RB: Stuart Dallas – 7.5/10
Dallas was a solid presence on the defensive end of the field and made a good chance in the final third as well.
CB: Luke Ayling – 7/10
Ayling was bright on the ball and made some crunching tackles to make life difficult for the West Ham attackers.
CB: Pascal Struijk – 7/10
He cleared his lines when needed and won multiple aerial duels for his team.
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LB: Junior Firpo – 6.5/10
Firpo was strong in the air but could only last 22 minutes.
CM: Adam Forshaw – 7/10
The English midfield ace picked up an assist for Harrison’s opening goal but got substituted in the 21st minute.
CM: Robin Koch – 6/10
He made a couple of crucial clearances but struggled to get a foothold in the game.
RW: Raphinha – 8.5/10
The Brazilian winger set up plenty of inviting chances for his teammates to score and caused all sorts of problems for the West Ham defenders.
CAM: Mateusz Klich – 7/10
Klich did his fair share of defending and was a threat in the final third.
LW: Jack Harrison – 10/10
Harrison scored three good goals to win this game for Leeds. He deserves to be named the man of the match.
ST: Daniel James – 6.5/10
He was a constant menace in the attacking end of the field but failed to register a goal once again.
Substitutes:
CM: Lewis Bate – 6/10
Bate added some energy to Leeds’ midfield before he got replaced in the 64th minute.
CB: Leo Hjelde – 7/10
The Norwegian talent made multiple important clearances during his time on the field.
ST: Rodrigo – 6/10
He hardly had a sniff at goal.
