Jayden Bogle flops at The Den with 3/10 – Leeds United player ratings v Millwall
Leeds United and Daniel Farke’s eight-match unbeaten run in the Championship came to an end as the Whites lost 1-0 to Millwall.
Farke’s side were nowhere near their best as they failed to truly test Neil Harris’ Lions at The Den on Wednesday (6 November) night, with Japhet Tanganga’s first-half goal the difference between the two sides.
The defeat leaves Leeds four points adrift of table toppers Sunderland and two points off second-placed Sheffield United who claimed all three points against Bristol City on Tuesday (5 November) night.
MOT Leeds News have rated the players out of 10;
Illan Meslier – 5
Perhaps could have been a bit quicker to react to Tanganga’s first-half goal but other than that did what he could to keep the home side out. In all fairness, he didn’t have an awful lot to do.
Junior Firpo – 4
The left-back was too slow to get out to stop Tanganga’s strike but was one of the better defenders in Farke’s side for the majority of the game. Won the majority of his duels and tackles but needed to be quicker when his team needed him the most.
Pascal Struijk – 4
It was the defender’s handball that handed Millwall the free-kick to break the deadlock. While it is hard to lay too much blame at his door for that mistake, he was nowhere near his best on Wednesday night. Far too many loose passes and he was too slow to close down Tanganga. A night to forget for the stand-in skipper.
Joe Rodon – 4
Had to do more in the lead-up to the opener. Failed to compete with Jake Cooper in the air as he and Bogle let the centre-back head into the path of Tanganga. Made little to no impact when attacking set-pieces despite some excellent balls into the penalty area.
Jayden Bogle – 3
Like Rodon, simply had to do better to stop the opener. The right-back is nowhere near good enough aerially and was left rooted to the ground as Cooper won the header. Didn’t pose any real threat going forward having replaced Sam Byram in the starting XI. Nearly cleared the away end with a rash strike late on.
Ao Tanaka – 6
Tanaka went about his business well enough in the middle of the park, but it wasn’t the sort of all-action display Leeds United fans have come to expect from the Japanese international. Battled away excellently out of possession but couldn’t produce that final defence-splitting pass like so many of his teammates.
Joe Rothwell – 5
The Southampton loanee seems to pose a constant threat with his set-piece delivery, even if some of his low crosses are rather unusual. Slightly unfortunate to be the man to make way for Manor Solomon midway through the second half.
What happened to Leeds United star Willy Gnonto at Elland Road?
Willy Gnonto – 3
Although Gnonto had a few impressive touches, the Italian winger was all over the place at The Den. Needed to do better with his second-half header as he failed to even hit the target and was often outmuscled by what was a strong Millwall side. The 21-year-old is such a good player, but he needs to start grabbing matches by the scruff of the neck.
Brenden Aaronson – 4
Aaronson was anonymous during the opening 45 minutes but created arguably the Whites’ best chance of the second period when he picked out Gnonto, only for the Italian to miss with his header. Other than that one moment, he was almost a passenger as the Millwall defence kept him at arm’s length.
Dan James – 4
As he normally does, James posed a threat down the right wing with his electric pace but it didn’t really come to much. The 26-year-old got into some good areas but the home side’s defence seemed to have an answer to each and every question he posed. Some long shots that were ultimately rather wasteful.
Joel Piroe – 4
The Dutchman was made to feed off scraps at the top end of the field but did very little to influence proceedings. The 25-year-old played a couple of smart passes on the rare occasions he saw the ball but was disconnected from the 10 teammates behind him at The Den. Needed to stay onside to slot home in the second half but drifted well beyond the backline.
Substitutes
Manor Solomon – 5
Patrick Bamford – n/a
Mateo Joseph – n/a
In other Leeds United news, Joe Gelhardt wants to seal a loan move away from Elland Road during the January transfer window,
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