McAnuff loses mind over ‘devastating’ Dan James footage in Leeds win v Watford
Jobi McAnuff was blown away by a “devastating” Dan James moment for Leeds United in the 4-0 win against Watford.
The Whites blew away the hosts at Vicarage Road on Tuesday evening (11 February) to move five points clear of Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United at the top of the Championship table.
James opened the floodgates in Hertfordshire after he capitalised on a “sloppy” Edo Kayembe pass to open the scoring after a cagey 20 minutes of action.
He bagged a brace eight minutes later before goals courtesy of Manor Solomon and Joel Piroe rounded off the rout on either side of the halftime whistle.
However, the Welshman produced one moment of “devastating” magic in the first half, which left McAnuff in awe of the Leeds frontman.
Dan James blows away Watford
Watford, to their credit, did well to keep the Whites at bay throughout the opening 20 minutes of the contest.
Nevertheless, once James found the back of the net, Leeds did what they do best and put the opposition to the sword.
Daniel Farke’s men are no strangers to big scorelines, having recently demolished Cardiff City in a 7-0 win at Elland Road on 1 February.
Before the clash, concerns emerged about whether James would make the starting lineup – he was dropped to the bench for the win against Coventry City on 5 February before missing the matchday squad entirely for the 2-0 loss against Millwall in the FA Cup (8 February).
James was “absolutely brilliant” at Vicarage Road as he single-handedly kicked Leeds up the gears upon his return to the side to continue their march through the Championship.
However, McAnuff was left in awe live on Sky Sports News (11 February, 08:13pm) by the forward, as the Whites produced a trademark counterattack for James to double his tally and the visitor’s advantage on the night.
“Brilliant, brilliant counterattacking goal. They got literally from one end of the pitch to the other. [Watford] just made a clearance, Piroe picks a pass out here, and Dan James, bang, just puts his foot through it.
“I told you, he’s a man full of confidence after that first one and cannot do any wrong at the moment. Absolutely devastating from Leeds.”
Leeds United can win the Championship this season
This year’s aim for Farke and Leeds has been clear: earn a long-awaited return to the Premier League.
Almost a year later, the 1-0 loss against Southampton in the playoff final last term is still a haunting memory at Elland Road.
This time, the atmosphere is different in West Yorkshire as the Whites breeze past any opposition that stands in their way – the side are still heavy favourites to win the Championship at the end of the season.
It is a testament to Farke and his players for the phenomenal consistency they have managed to uphold throughout the campaign as they assert their dominance as the best goalscoring side in the division, with 16 more goals than the next best, Norwich City, with 50 goals.
Even with the questionable away form of past is becoming a distant memory, The Opta Analyst supercomputer gave Leeds a 53.1 per cent chance of victory at Vicarage Road, which are fairly low odds considering how the match played out.
Now, with Watford out of the way, Farke can focus on his biggest test of the season when he faces promotion hopefuls Sunderland, Sheffield United and West Brom in his upcoming fixtures.
If the Whites survive those matches unscathed, it is hard to envision anyone else lifting the Championship title in May.