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Liam Cooper in stinker as Tyler Adams shines again - Leeds United player ratings v Crystal Palace
Leeds United failed to make the most of their first-half dominance as they lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace away at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.
Pascal Struijk’s 10th-minute goal was a just reward for continuous pressure from Jesse Marsch’s men as they peppered Vicente Guiata’s goal with shots.
However, sloppy defending that saw a free-kick conceded then led to Odsonne Edouard heading in an equaliser 14 minutes later.
Leeds didn’t look the same side after the half-time break and Eberechi Eze grabbed the winner for the Eagles in the 76th minute following a smart touch from Wilfried Zaha.
Here, MOT Leeds News rates the players out of 10 for their performances at Selhurst:
Illan Meslier – 5
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Meslier really didn’t have anything to do throughout the game and cannot be blamed for the two goals he conceded.
Rasmus Kristensen – 6
Kristensen looked well up for it against Palace. Wilfried Zaha had little impact due to the Dane’s tireless work and he also made an extremely good block to stop Jordan Ayew scoring in the second half.
Robin Koch – 6
Koch could definitely have done a lot better at stopping Palace’s goal. He lost Edouard, who pretty much ended up with a free header. Away from that, he defended quite well.
Liam Cooper – 3
We were all happy to see Cooper back in the side last week. But now there are going to be calls for him to be left out again after arguably being at fault for both of Palace’s goals. He stupidly conceded the free-kick that Palace got their first from and he swung at fresh-air when trying to stop Eze from scoring. It was a really bad defensive display and it cost Leeds massively.
Pascal Struijk – 7
Struijk took his goal very well. He was in the right place at the right time and even though he’s a centre-back playing at left-back, he finished it in a very calm and composed manner. Junior Firpo has a big job at trying to displace Struijk at left-back.
Tyler Adams – 8 (Man of the match)
That was arguably Adams’ best performance in a Leeds shirt. He defended brilliantly, keeping close tabs on Palace’s dangerous attackers like Eberechi Eze and Zaha. He was also superb on the ball, spraying some very good passes forward for the likes of Aaronson and Jack Harrison to feed on. Our man of the match.
Marc Roca – 5
Roca was left bamboozled and flat-footed by Zaha when he assisted Eze’s goal. It was a quiet performance by him but that defending ahead of Palace’s second goal was dreadful.
Brenden Aaronson – 7
Aaronson would have been our man of the match if he sustained his first-half performance after the break. The young USA attacker showed why he was called the ‘Medford Messi’ with a slaloming run that led to Struijk’s goal. Palace seemed to work out how to cope with Aaronson eventually but we continue to by impressed by him.
Rodrigo – 5
Rodrigo was dropped back into an attacking midfield role against Palace and it’s fair to say that he wasn’t as comfortable there as he was up front. Bamford’s back from injury but should he be automatically coming back into the side to replace someone who’s been in good form? It was the wrong call by Marsch.
Jack Harrison – 6
Harrison had a good first half but was quieter after the half-time break. He always looked capable of creating something when he had the ball in the attack but those opportunities decreased as the game went on.
Patrick Bamford – 4
It really wasn’t Bamford’s day. Marsch maybe should not have started the England striker, who was thrown into the starting line-up to replace the suspended Luis Sinisterra. Bamford squandered a big chance to score in the first half and seemed to struggle to keep up with the likes of Harrison and Aaronson around him. Bamford will get there but that was a game to forget, really.
Substitutions:
Crysenscio Summerville (on for Bamford, 62′) – 5
Mateusz Klich (on for Aaronson, 76′) – 4
Klich came on and instantly Leeds conceded. He could have done more to stop the goal by getting goal-side of Eze.
Luke Ayling (on for Kristensen, 84′) – N/A
Joe Gelhardt (on for Roca, 84′) – 4
In other Leeds United news, an unexpected senior exit could be on the cards at Elland Road.