Brenden Aaronson continues to shine, 4/10 makes Daniel Farke look a fool – Leeds player ratings vs Everton
Leeds secured a point in a 1-1 draw away to Everton on Monday.
Off the back of Leeds’ 1-0 win over Fulham, the Whites entered Monday’s clash with Everton full of momentum, and it took 28 minutes for them to take advantage of it.
Anton Stach’s cross was left cleverly by Brenden Aaronson, with James Justin firing the ball beyond Jordan Pickford to give his side the lead.
However, from the second half onwards, the game turned in favour of the Toffees, and with 15 minutes to go, Thierno Barry levelled the game from close range.
Leeds failed to offer anything to the game after the equaliser, but did enough defensively to secure another point on the road.
Ilia Gruev amplifies burning Leeds question
Since Daniel Farke has switched to a back five, Ilia Gruev has been given an extended run in the team, and very rarely has he showcased why.
It was the same on Merseyside, with the Bulgarian international doing little to contribute anything meaningful at either end of the pitch.
- Zero defensive contributions
- Zero chances created
- Four out of five duels lost
- One foul committed
What makes it even worse is that exit-linked Ao Tanaka was again named on the bench, despite having showcased time and time again that he can bring something to this team that no one else can.
Tanaka was brought on with 25 minutes to go, and with Leeds having their backs to the wall at that point, his ability to influence the game was severely restricted.
Had the roles been reversed, Tanaka would have certainly given the Whites more attacking impotutus after a first half of domination, and Gruev
After another performance that certainly didn’t warrant a start next time out, Farke has to realise his mistake with Tanaka’s continued omission.
Brenden Aaronson is owed a lot of apologies
And that includes from me. Aaronson was at the heart of everything Leeds did against the Toffees, and that has been the case several times in this new system.
The USMNT international played an integral role in the Whites’ opening goal, even if he didn’t actually touch the ball. His decision to leave it was crucial to James Justin’s ability to strike it cleanly.
Away from the goal, Aaronson was everywhere and was always willing to show for the ball, before turning away from his man and starting an attack.
His impact died down in the second half, though that can’t be held against him, given that the entire team seemed to drop down a gear.
The only thing missing from his performance tonight was a goal or an assist.
Leeds player ratings
Karl Darlow – 6
Jayden Bogle – 7
Sebastian Bornauw – 6 (for Buonanotte 85′)
Joe Rodon – 5
Pascal Struijk – 7
James Justin – 8
Ethan Ampadu – 7
Ilia Gruev – 4 (for Tanaka 66′)
Anton Stach – 7 (for Longstaff 85′)
Brenden Aaronson – 8 (for Okafor 85′)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 4
Subs
Ao Tanaka – 5 (for Gruev 66′)
Sean Longstaff – N/A (for Stach 85′)
Noah Okafor – N/A (for Aaronson 85′)
Facundo Buonanotte – N/A (for Bornauw 85′)
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