Leeds United v Portsmouth ratings – Illan Meslier horrendous as Wilfried Gnonto stars
Leeds United began the new EFL Championship season with a 3-3 draw against Portsmouth at Elland Road on 10 August.
The Whites opened the scoring courtesy of a penalty scored by Pascal Struijk, but went into half-time 2-1 down with Pompey scoring through Callum Lang and Elias Sorensen.
Wilfried Gnonto equalised at the start of the second period to set up a mouth-watering 45 minutes where Leeds looked to score the winning goal.
Pompey scored in extra time through Lang but Brenden Aaronson scored a last-gasp equaliser to salvage a point.
Here are our player ratings for the game:
Illan Meslier struggles once again in goal for Leeds United
Illan Meslier – 2
The opener went straight through him and a keeper of his calibre should be stopping those easily. It was a weak effort to stop the ball from finding the back of the net and one that would’ve annoyed Farke. Even for the second one, he took way too long to react and keep the ball out of the net. The 24-year-old keeps making the same mistakes he’s been in the past.
Jayden Bogle – 4
Made multiple errors out of possession and one of them proved costly as Portsmouth managed to find the back of the net from it. The 24-year-old offers a lot going forward but needs to improve significantly defensively. He then ended up giving a penalty, which while debatable, was still a costly error.
Joe Rodon – 3
Not the ideal way to start the season for the Wales international. Got bullied in the air and struggled to impose himself as a physical presence in defence. Even with his passes, the 26-year-old seemed off the pace and he put his side in trouble on numerous occasions.
Pascal Struijk – 6
Scored the opening goal and was decent with his passes but much like Rodon, there were holes to poke from a defensive standpoint.
Junior Firpo – 5
Tried to offer something in attack but often struggled to get past his opponent and stretch the game as much as Farke would’ve liked. Defensively, wasn’t as exposed as Bogle was on the other side, but still not an ideal display.
Ethan Ampadu – 7
Offered calm and composure in the middle of the park and showed just why Farke relies on him so much as a leader. According to Sofascore, he completed 88% of his passes and won seven out of eight of his ground duels. A solid display.
Ilia Gruev – 6
Much like Ampadu, the Bulgarian was tidy in possession, completing a healthy 90% of his passes. He also looked to make things happen further up pitch and despite a few errors in judgement, it was a performance he would’ve been proud of.
Dan James – 5
Looked to put the Portsmouth defenders on the backfoot with his direct running and speed but did not quite deliver in the final third. He was wayward with his crosses, completing just one out of eight and he’s definitely got to show more composure in these situations.
Georginio Rutter – 4
Showed glimpses of how skilful he could be but his end product seemed to be lacking. Made a number of school-boy errors in the final third and did not appear to be on the same page as the rest of his teammates.
Wilfried Gnonto one of the top performers for Leeds United
Wilfried Gnonto – 7
Looked lively right from the first minute on the left flank and gave Jordan Williams a lot to deal with. Often, Pompey looked to double-team the Italy international but he still managed to find the back of the net and put in a star-studded performance.
Mateo Joseph – 5
Got into some encouraging positions and managed to muster shots on target but failed to really keep the defenders on their toes. The 20-year-old’s lack of experience showed on the day and a more experienced striker would’ve found the net at least once.
Subs
Joe Rothwell – 4
Brenden Aaronson – 5
Joel Piroe – 5
Patrick Bamford – 3
In other Leeds United news, a bidding war update emerges as the Whites want to sign an £8.5m-rated attacker.
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