Guilavogui flops in 3/10, Solomon MOTM – Leeds United player ratings v Harrogate
Leeds United stumbled past Harrogate Town with a 1-0 win in the FA Cup on Saturday thanks to a second-half goal from Largie Ramazani.
Leeds secured their spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a narrow victory against Harrogate on 11 January which saw the long-awaited return of Ilia Gruev to the matchday squad.
Daniel Farke’s side dominated the game as expected but struggled to find that moment of quality in the final third with spurred chances the primary story of the opening 45 with a second-half header from Ramazani proving the difference.
Here, MOT Leeds News rated the players out of 10.
Karl Darlow – 7
Had next to nothing to do in the game with Leeds dominating proceedings in the Harrogate half but provided a calming figure when he was needed for the large part, making a couple of vital interceptions.
Isaac Schmidt – 7
Looked to get up and down the right flank all night and provided some quality which leaves the question as to why his game time has been so limited this season.
Josuha Guilavogui – 3
Was fortunate to not concede a penalty in the first half and saw an array of passes fail to reach the desired target, was too eager to get close to his man on a few occasions and gave away a couple of needless fouls. Just lacked defensive awareness that, fortunately, Harrogate didn’t capitalise on.
Pascal Struijk – 7 (64′ for Rodon)
Made a crucial tackle in the second half as Harrogate looked to capitalise on the counter and had it not been for his intervention, Leeds could have found themselves a goal down.
Sam Byram – 5 (76′ for Firpo)
Byram did little wrong in the game but he failed to offer much given the dominance of Leeds with the majority of his passes either sideways or backwards.
Joe Rothwell – 7 (64′ for Tanaka)
Spurred an excellent opportunity from a set piece in the first half but showed his experience in midfield with several tackles and differing types of passes that set Leeds off on the attack.
Ethan Ampadu – 5
Kept things simple in midfield although could have potentially increased the risk of his play in an attempt to carve out a clear opportunity but he just didn’t have an impact in the game.
Largie Ramazani – 6
Was in the right place at the right time to dispatch a header from Solomon’s cross but didn’t offer an awful lot of quality in the attacking areas outside of it.
Manor Solomon provides the goods for Leeds United
Manor Solomon – 8 (76′ for James)
Had an effort graze the crossbar in the second half and provided an inch-perfect cross for the opening goal of the game, providing a constant threat throughout.
Willy Gnonto – 6 (89′ for Gruev)
Constantly provided a threat and was unfortunate not to have been rewarded with an assist in the first half after putting an excellent ball into the box for Mateo Joseph but fizzled out completely as the game went on.
Mateo Joseph – 4
His performance against Harrogate pretty much summed up his season, offered little to no threat in the final third and failed to hold the ball up and link the play. Overhit a simple pass in the dying minutes when Leeds had an excellent chance to double their advantage, taking too long to make decisions.
Substitutions
Ao Tanaka 6 – (64′ for Rothwell)
Played an industrious role in the latter stages of the game.
Joe Rodon – 6 (64 for Struijk)
Instantly showed his leadership and defensive qualities after being introduced to the game.
Dan James – N/A (76′ for Solomon)
Junior Firpo – N/A (76′ for Byram)
Ilia Gruev – N/A (89′ for Gnonto)
In other Leeds United news, another EFL club have joined the race to sign this Leeds star.
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