Leeds United ace Daniel James steals show – Wales player ratings v Gibraltar
Leeds United ace Dan James helped Wales secure a comfortable victory over Gibraltar on Wednesday (11 October).
The 25-year-old started on the bench but was quickly called into action when he replaced the injured Wes Burns on 15 minutes in Wrexham.
The Whites forward set up two goals in the first half as the Red Dragons eased to a 4-0 win, courtesy of two goals from Kieffer Moore, alongside strikes from Ben Davies and Nathan Broadhead at The Racecourse Ground.
Here MOT Leeds News rates the Wales players for their displays against Gibraltar, with James standing out as one of the top performers.
Danny Ward (Off for Hennessey ’45) – 6
The keeper literally had nothing to do in the first half as he had just five touches of the ball before being replaced by Wayne Hennessey at half-time [SofaScore]. You could argue that Ward organised his defence well, but it was largely down to the lack of quality on display from the opposition.
Regan Poole – 5
Playing on the right-hand side of the back three, it was Poole’s job to get forward and offer a bit of support for the wing-back playing in front of him. While he was largely solid, he will be disappointed to have picked up a yellow card.
Joe Low – 6
The Wycombe man played well in the heart of the defence as he kept the ball moving before shifting out to the left of the back three in the second half.
Ben Davies (Off for Lockyer ’45) – 7
Captaining the side on the night, Davies led from the front. He showed great to desire to get up and head the ball home convincingly from a corner on 22 minutes. The defender was replaced at half-time, but he played well in the first half.
Wes Burns (Off for James ’15) – 5
It’s hard to really judge the winger because he only lasted 15 minutes before he was forced off with what looked like a nasty-looking injury.
Jordan James (Off for Sheehan ’45) – 6
The Birmingham City midfielder had a decent game in the middle of the park before being replaced at half-time. He looked to get on the ball as much as possible and recorded a pass success rate of 95 per cent.
Charlie Savage – 8
It was an excellent debut from the Manchester United youngster. With his dad Robbie in the crowd, the midfielder will be delighted with his performance. He kept the ball moving in the midfield and showed some lovely touches on the ball.
Neco Williams (Off for Wilson ’59) – 6
The fullback had a decent game getting up and down the right-hand flank before being subbed off in the second half as he contantly provided an outlet for his side.
Liam Cullen – 6
The midfielder was tidy in possession and wanted the ball at every opportunity. After playing the full 90 minutes, he can be reasonably pleased with his performance.
Kieffer Moore (Off for Brashaw ’45) – 8
The forward was clinical with his performance, scoring twice in the first half before being subbed off at half-time. He had too much quality and was too strong for the Gibraltar defenders.
Nathan Broadhead – 7
It was a good outing from Broadhead as he was a constant threat going forwards for Wales. He also scored an excellent goal, which is just what his display deserved.
Subs
Dan James (On for Burns ’15) – 9
The Leeds winger was extremely bright from the moment he came on. He drove at the Gibraltar defenders and constantly looked to make things happen, cutting in off the land-hand side of the forward line in the first half. He registered two assists to put himself in with a great chance of starting the next game. After the break, he switched to the right and continued to look dangerous as he saw a left-footed effort from long range cannon back off the post. He can be pleased with his night’s work.
Wayne Hennessey (On for Ward ’46) – 6
Just like Ward, the keeper didn’t have to do a single thing thoughout the time he was on the pitch.
Tom Lockyer (On for Davies ’45) – 6
The defender came on for Davies at half-time and was decent in the middle of the defence. He cut out what danger came his way and looked to quickly get his side on the attack.
Harry Wilson (On for Williams ’59) – 5
The winger didn’t get the opportunity to do much as the game was already over once he came onto the pitch. Perhaps he would’ve liked to have had more of an impact.
Tom Bradshaw (On for Moore ’45) – 4
There was no lack of effort from Bradshaw, but he failed to live up to what Moore had done in the first half. He would have liked to have scored against lesser opposition and may feel a bit disappointed.
Josh Sheehan (On for James ’45) – 5
Sheehan did reasonably well in the middle of the park, but just like the other players that came on at half-time, it was hard to follow on from what the players did in the first half.
Ethan Ampadu – N/A
The Leeds midfielder was kept on the bench and will likely play against Croatia on Sunday (15 October).
Joe Rodon – N/A
Just like his Whites teammate, it’s likely Rodon was kept in reserve for the game at the weekend.
In other Leeds United news, a BBC pundit was awestruck by what one “outstanding” player did against Bristol City.