Illan Meslier is disgrace as 8/10 wows – Leeds player ratings v Swansea
Leeds were held to a gutting 2-2 draw by Swansea in a major blow to their promotion hopes on Saturday afternoon.
The Whites were looking to retake the top spot in the Championship after Sheffield United beat Coventry 3-1 on Friday evening.
They took an early lead through Brenden Aaronson, but a mistake from Illan Meslier allowed Harry Darling to equalise, and Wilfried Gnonto’s late strike was cancelled out by Jan Vipotnek.
Here, MOT Leeds News rates the Whites players out of 10 in the Elland Road contest.
Meslier struggles in Leeds draw
Illan Meslier – 3
Meslier has been under major pressure at Leeds, and he saved a first-half penalty, but a catastrophic error in the second 45 minutes saw him give the opposition an equaliser as he dropped the ball from a corner, and Darling slotted home. He, then, should have done better for the equaliser. Disgrace.
Jayden Bogle – 6
Bogle put in a shift on both sides of the ball, constantly tried to take his side forward and was solid when the Swans tried to attack.
Joe Rodon – 5
The Wales defender gave away a penalty in the first half, but Meslier spared his blushes and he bounced back with a solid defensive performance.
Pascal Struijk – 6
Absolutely crucial in the Whites’ build-up and in the air when the Welsh side tried to threaten, but was vulnerable on the ground.
Sam Byram – 5 (off for Firpo, 72)
Solid defensively and tried to make things happen in attack, but could not find the final ball to make an impact, the Whites lacked Junior Firpo‘s presence on the left flank for most of the contest until he was introduced by Farke.
Joe Rothwell – 7
Rothwell constantly kept things ticking over in midfield, was accurate with his passes, created several chances for his teammates, and was also brilliant defensively.
Ethan Ampadu – 4 (off for Tanaka, 58)
Ampadu looked rusty on his return from injury and was hooked after 58 minutes after struggling with his passing and picking up a yellow card.
| Stats | Ampadu v Swansea |
| Pass accuracy | 72% |
| Chances created | 0 |
| Ground duels won | 3/6 (50%) |
Dan James – 5 (off for Gnonto, 85)
An unusually quiet afternoon for James despite his constant threat of the visitors’ goal. He could not make anything happen on this occasion and had just one shot on target, and his replacement notched the late strike that should have been the winner.
Aaronson shines in Leeds draw
Brenden Aaronson – 8 (off for Joseph, 73)
Aaronson has been the subject of criticism due to a poor run of form recently, but he was on hand to notch a crucial opener in the opening stages of the contest and also created two chances for his teammates in an encouraging display.
Manor Solomon – 5 (off for Ramazani, 72)
Constantly tried to make an impact, but the Tottenham loanee continued to struggle and has now gone seven games without a contribution, which will worry Daniel Farke.
Joel Piroe – 5
Missed a glorious chance to double the lead and ease the nerves at Elland Road, but struck his effort straight at the goalkeeper and could not influence the game despite his constant attempts.
Substitutes:
Ao Tanaka – 5 (on for Ampadu, 58)
Junior Firpo – 5 (on for Byram, 72)
Largie Ramazani – 5 (on for Solomon, 72)
Mateo Joseph – 5 (on for Aaronson, 73)
Wilfried Gnonto – 8 (on for James, 85)