A really comfortable win over a poor side.
Leeds United completed a comfortable 2-0 win over a poor Ipswich Town side at Elland Road.
Ipswich looked every bit a side at the foot of the Championship and while Leeds were not at their very best, they were the better side by a long way and could have won by a larger margin.
Goals either side of half-time from Kemar Roofe and Liam Cooper were enough to give Leeds the win and with it, return Marcelo Bielsa’s side to the top of the Championship table.
Time now to look at each player and how they performed. As always you can tell me how wrong I am @mightywhitespod or @ThruItAllLUFC on twitter.
STARTING LINE-UP
Bailey Peacock-Farrell - Had nothing to do for the vast majority of the game (outside from pass to his defenders). Made a simple save from Matthew Pennington, a couple of good catches from crosses, and one good save to deny Jon Nolan after a slip from Luke Ayling. Solid performance, clean sheet to go with it. 7/10
Gaetano Berardi - Right centre-back in a 3 today. Only on for 27 minutes before unfortunately going off with an injury. Before going off his passing was fine, did allow a couple of runs in behind him and picked up a yellow card on one of those occasions. 5.5/10
Kalvin Phillips - A full game at centre-back for the first time this season and looked very comfortable in the role. Good in possession and stepped in well to make a few interceptions. Able to step out of the defence with the ball a bit more in the second half as Leeds’ performance became a bit more fluid. Excellent step over before Cooper’s goal, doesn’t get the assist but deserves credit. 8/10
Liam Cooper - Good in possession barring a couple of sloppy balls into the midfield which were off target. Dominant in the air throughout the game. Lovely finish to score Leeds’ second goal and seal the victory. Very good performance. 8/10
Luke Ayling - Played solidly at right-back before being forced to move into centre-back by the injury to Berardi. On the right of the 3 CBs he was untroubled apart from one slip which gifted Ipswich’s best chance to Jon Nolan. 7/10
Mateusz Klich - Isn’t as suited to the 3-3-1-3 as the 4-1-4-1 as it limits his ability to get forward but still looked good in the deeper role. Was solid in possession and didn’t have too much to do in a defensive sense. Got a little bit sloppy in the final minutes when he had moved further forward into the ‘Saiz role’. 7/10
Ezgjan Alioski - Did well in the deeper left-wing-back role. Did his defensive work well including holding up much better in the air than you would expect. Coming on to the ball from deep and getting crosses in, although some of these crosses weren’t great. Moved forward into his more usual winger role and offered Leeds plenty in attack. Unlucky not to score with a great strike across the keeper that came back off the inside of the post. 7.5/10
Samu Saiz - Inconsistent again. Played a major part in the first goal, dragging a couple of defenders towards him before finding a good pass out wide to Pablo Hernandez. Some good moments, some poor decisions. Subbed off in the second half and he seemed to have no complaints. 6/10
Pablo Hernandez - Great to have him back. Did play a few sloppy passes but that is being picky. An excellent cross to set up the goal for Kemar Roofe. Also gets the assist for Cooper’s goal. The balance of the side was so much better with him in the side and he consistently produced moments of quality. Man of the Match on his return to the Leeds starting XI. 8.5/10
Jack Harrison - Similar to Saiz but with fewer moments of quality. Leeds least effective attacking player, lost the ball a bit too much as well. Alioski looked much more threatening in the role today. 5/10
Kemar Roofe - Probably not in the game as much as he would’ve liked. Showed good movement to find space for his goal and he never looked like missing the header. Pressured the defenders well as he always does. If he stays fit, he will stay as Leeds’ main striker. 7.5/10
SUBSTITUES
Stuart Dallas (for Berardi, 27mins) - Looked way more comfortable as a wing-back than as an orthodox full-back. Got forward when the opportunity arose, passed the ball consistently well. Solid performance. 7/10
Adam Forshaw (for Saiz, 58mins) - Best performance for a while. Made a real difference with excellent passing and had a couple of efforts on goal, one of them denied by a great save. Despite being on for less time, stood above the performances of Klich and Saiz in the middle. 7.5/10
Tom Pearce (for Harrison, 59mins) - Good to see him get some deserved game time. Was untested defensively and got forward when the opportunity presented itself. Good outing for the England U20 international. 7/10
