Pranav Shahaney

Sun 21 May 2023 15:29, UK

Leeds United failed to take advantage of Everton dropping points as they suffered a 3-1 defeat against West Ham United on Sunday, 21 May.

Visiting the London Stadium against a side that had nothing to play for, Sam Allardyce’s men took an early lead but blew it as the game progressed.

Jarrod Bowen ended up scoring what looked to be the winning goal for the Hammers but Manuel Lanzini’s strike in extra time sealed the deal.

Joel Robles – 5

Made a number of telling saves, especially in the second half, justifying his inclusion ahead of Illan Meslier once again. Big Sam wants his goalkeeper to primarily be a shot stopper and not play out from the back so in terms of that, he’s doing exactly what he wants. He could’ve done better to stop Bowen from scoring, but apart from that, it was a decent game for him.

Luke Ayling – 2

Bar a few runs forward in the initial stages of the game, the Englishman offered absolutely nothing to the Leeds attack in the game. He lost possession in key areas of the pitch and failed to win even one of his four attempted aerial duels. He is a fan favourite at Elland Road but performances like this one are unacceptable.

Rasmus Kristensen – 3

Was nowhere to be seen for the opening West Ham goal and he’s proving to be a defensive liability playing outside position for the Whites. Didn’t close Danny Ings down either for the second goal and it was a disappointing display.

Max Wober – 4

Played Bowen on for the winning goal and he needs to be holding a better line with everyone else playing an offside trap. The lack of communication with players around him is what’s cost him in the past and did so again.

Pascal Struijk – 6

Was the best Leeds defender on the pitch by far as he won most of his duels on the pitch and kept the Hammers right side quiet. Bowen was actually on the other side when he scored and that’s because he wasn’t having too much luck against Struijk.

Weston McKennie – 4

An unconventional long throw from the American saw the Whites opening the scoring and he deserves full credit for throwing the ball that far. However, on the pitch, his work-rate was appalling and he was even spotted strolling on a few occasions. Even if Leeds stay up, he’s not the sort of midfielder they need in their team for the long term.

Robin Koch – 7

Was arguably the best Leeds player on the day as he played the role of a controller perfectly and completed north of 80 per cent of his passes. [Sofascore]

He was pin-point with his long balls too which helped Leeds a great deal on the counter attack. He got bullied in the air on a few occasions, but the manager will be pleased with his display.

Adam Forshaw – 5

Lost most of his duels in the middle of the park and that saw Leeds getting bypassed more often than not with the Hammers enjoying their battle in midfield. He was pretty good with his passes but it was his off-the-ball work that will worry the Leeds United manager.

Rodrigo – 6

Scored the goal, but was clearly injured for most parts of the game and still continued playing as Big Sam wanted his finishing abilities in case a chance was created for him. One cannot blame him for lacking intensity as he did not deserve to play the full 90 minutes.

Patrick Bamford – 2

Completed just two passes in the 34 minutes he was on the pitch and his fitness record has once again let Leeds down. He even struggled to get shots on goal in what was a tame performance from the English striker.

Jack Harrison – 6

Tried to make things happen for Leeds being their best creator and this is a call that Allardyce will have to explain in the press conference. There was nobody who was trying to force the initiative quite like Harrison.

Subs

Willy Gnonto – 5

Came on earlier than he would’ve expected but failed to offer a goal threat for the visitors. He lost most of his attempted dribbles and failed to have an attempt on goal either.

Brenden Aaronson – 4

Crysencio Summerville – 4

Marc Roca – N/A

Sam Greenwood – N/A

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay claims that an international player at Elland Road has no place at the club next season and a summer transfer is on the cards.