Leeds United player ratings v Sunderland: Dan James stinks, Crysencio Summerville shines
Leeds United had their winning run put to an end as Sunderland picked up a crucial victory at the Stadium of Light on 12 December.
Jobe Bellingham broke the deadlock with a fortunate goal in the 78th minute of the game.
That proved to be enough as, despite Leeds’ best efforts, there wasn’t to be another goal in the contest.
Here are our player ratings from the game:
Illan Meslier – 7
Made an incredible save in the first half from Jenson Seelt’s strike and it was so well hit that the Sunderland player was already celebrating a goal. The Frenchman’s heroics were on show at the start of the second half too when he denied Niall Huggins. There wasn’t anything he could’ve done to stop the hosts from taking the lead.
Archie Gray – 6
Appeared to be getting beat time and again in the first half by Jack Clarke. He had to commit a really poor challenge just to stop him from getting into the box. Was decent with his passes, with Sofascore reporting an accuracy north of 90 per cent but did not get involved in the attack as much as Farke would’ve wanted.
Joe Rodon – 5
Looked a tad shaky in possession, especially in the 90th minute when he appeared to succumb to the fan pressure. He mostly did a tidy job, but he’s had better games for Leeds and Farke will undoubtedly be having a word with him.
Pascal Struijk – 6
Made an important clearance just a little ahead of the goal line to keep the Black Cats at bay in the first half. He was also incredible with his passing, being the ideal modern-day centre-back for Farke’s side. However, in the second period, some may attach blame on him for Sunderland’s goal with the Whites failing to clear their lines.
Djed Spence – 6
Made a crucial block inside the Leeds penalty area in the 74th minute. Patrick Roberts looked to volley the ball home and it was going on target, but the Tottenham-owned defender kept him at bay. Playing in an unaccustomed left-back role, he did well, achieving a pass accuracy of 90 per cent and winning 100 per cent of his aerial duels. He may just emerge as the option there for the rest of the season.
Ethan Ampadu – 5
Lost 75 per cent of his ground duels and did not have the sort of dominating midfield presence he has in recent games. He even got bullied in the air and he’ll certainly need to do better going into the festive period. Not much can be faulted about his passes as he managed that aspect of his game pretty well.
Glen Kamara – 6
Did not have the best of games and physically got bullied on a few occasions. However, in the 73rd minute, he did extremely well to win the ball back to tee up Crysencio Summerville. His parking was also on point and on another day, he’d be winning more than just 50 per cent of his ground duels.
Dan James – 3
Endured a hard first half where he struggled to get involved in proceedings. He could complete only five passes with a pass accuracy of 71 per cent and misplaced both of his crosses. He even picked up a needless booking in the second half where he could have defended that better. He failed to complete any crosses (0 out of 3) all game and lost possession eight times. Was deservedly taken off by Farke with 15 minutes to go.
Joel Piroe – 5
Nearly scored the equaliser in the 88th minute but his well struck effort was cleared off the line. However, apart from that, he struggled to get involved in the game too much and be as lively as Summerville. Not an ideal outing for the Dutchman.
Crysencio Summerville – 8
Switched flanks on a few occasions in the second half and looked more threatening than James. Took a decent shot in the 73rd minute of the contest. Looked the most threatening whenever the ball was at his feet and he managed to draw three fouls too. He was also tidy with his passing and did incredibly well to combine with the attacking players. On another day, he’d be finding the back of the net.
Georginio Rutter – 5
Much like Piroe, the Frenchman struggled to get involved and was often seeing drifting out in positions he’s not used to playing in. He only made nine passes all game which suggests just how out of the proceedings he really was.
Subs
Wilfried Gnonto -5
Jaidon Anthony – 4
Patrick Bamford – 3
Mateo Joseph – 4
In other Leeds United news, a surgery diagnosis has been shared on a first-team player now set to be out of action for a number of weeks.