Leeds United news as Liam Cooper only gets 5/10 in Scotland win v Norway
Leeds United defender Liam Cooper was handed a 5/10 match rating by the Daily Record in Scotland’s victory over Norway on Saturday (17 June).
Steve Clarke’s men defeated their opponents 2-1 in Oslo in their Euro 2024 qualifying match thanks to late goals from Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean.
Erling Haaland had given the hosts the lead from the spot, but the visitors secured all three points in the end to make it three wins from three in their qualifying group.
Leeds defender Cooper was a second-half substitute on the evening, coming on for Arsenal ace Kieran Tierney in the 65th minute.
But his 25-minute cameo did not impress national media, with the Daily Record (page 49, 19 June) handing him a 5/10 rating for his display.
Harsh
Cooper was by no means the standout in the Scotland defence, never mind the entire Scotland team, but he absolutely played his part in the famous victory.
His fellow defenders deserve enormous credit for keeping phenomenal striker Haaland quiet for the majority of the match, even if the youngster did get his inevitable goal with his well-taken penalty just after the hour mark.
Given Cooper’s second-half introduction and Haaland’s late substitution, the Leeds defender was forced to deal with the threat of the Norwegian for 19 minutes.
As many defenders found out this season, 19 minutes is more than enough time for Haaland to find the back of the net on multiple occasions, but it wasn’t to be for the Manchester City star this time around.
The Scots stayed resilient and determined to grind out a memorable victory, one that puts them five points clear at the top of Euro 2024 qualifying Group A.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites want to sign one “magnificent” West Brom star who is available this summer.