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Ethan Ampadu shocked live on Sky Sports to beat Joel Piroe to award for 3-0 win at Millwall
Ethan Ampadu couldn’t believe he had been chosen as the man of the match over Leeds United teammate Joel Piroe at Millwall.
Ampadu reacted live on Sky Sports after the final whistle (17 September) when the Dutchman was asked to hand him the award (2.06pm): “Me? I thought you get it if you score?”
The two Whites stand-outs were conducting a joint post-match interview at The Den after two strikes from Piroe and a third from Georginio Rutter had decisively settled the trip to South London, but it was the midfielder who was named as the pick of Daniel Farke’s men.
The victory on return from the international break lifted Leeds United up to 10th in the Championship and was only tempered by the news that Djed Spence’s injury, which caused him to miss the match, was set to keep him out for an extended period.
Money’s worth
The award could have gone to either of the two summer signings on the day, or arguably club-record purchase Rutter, as the club certainly got a return on investment at Millwall, albeit belatedly in the latter case.
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While Piroe’s form in three games since his arrival from Swansea has fluctuated wildly between two scoring performances in strong wins and an anonymous outing in the goalless draw with Sheffield Wednesday, Ampadu’s has been steadier.
The first signing by Daniel Farke this summer has proven to be a vital one, not least because it was only him and Archie Gray who were trusted by the manager to man the midfield until he secured Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara late in the window.
Having got lost in the loan cycle at Chelsea, which had ended in relegation three years running, Welsh international Ampadu has arguably gone under the radar at the top level.
But Leeds paid a sizeable second tier fee of £7million [BBC Sport, 19 July] to beat the competition to his signature, and he if continues as he as started it looks like proving a bargain.
And if Piroe continues to find the net like he did on Sunday then he will no doubt be picking up some awards himself in the coming weeks as things are starting to look up at Elland Road.
In other Leeds United news, one Whites player was mocked by the pundits on Sky for what he did at Millwall.