Leeds United player ratings v Blackburn: Ethan Ampadu stinks
Leeds United travelled to Ewood Park to take on Blackburn in the Championship on Saturday 9 December, leaving with all three points in a 2-0 win.
The Whites and Daniel Farke named an unchanged side in Lancashire with Crysencio Summerville and Sam Byram recovering from issues earlier in the week.
Dan James gave his side to lead with a brilliant driven finish, and Summerville made sure of the win with a lovely chipped strike in the second half.
MOT Leeds News has rated the players out of 10 below…
Illan Meslier – 7
A very typical performance of the Frenchman, who was very shakey at times but also did enough not to look like he was conceding at any moment in time – he was clattered at one stage but got back up and battled on. His save from a deflected header in the second half was phenomenal.
Sam Byram – 7
Byram has been sensational since re-joining the club, and doing it at left-back is making our well-known issues in that area over the years disappear very quickly. He was solid on the ball without getting forward too much and made sure his man didn’t get a sniff all afternoon.
Pascal Struijk – 8
Very assured of the skipper after consecutive games where goals were conceded from his mistakes, this back four is really coming together and it is nice to see after years of struggles – Struijk has to take credit for that.
Joe Rodon – 9 (Man of the Match)
The Welshman was once again colossal and you could see him commanding his teammates around, something that helped when dealing with Sam Szmodics, who did not look like the top scorer in the Championship he is.
Archie Gray – 7
Another brilliant afternoon from the 17-year-old who is looking more like a seasoned professional with each performance for Farke’s side. What has really improved since his debut is his strength, with the teenager really starting to dominate wingers now, something that is great to watch.
Ethan Ampadu – 5
It was a strange afternoon for Ampadu, who was nowhere near his usual self on the ball, giving the ball away so many times. The best example of that was in the second half where he wasted time on the ball twice in the space of 30 seconds – hopefully, he is back to his best at Sunderland.
Glen Kamara – 7
A footballer who simply looks like he never breaks out of second gear, with his class very clear in that midfield area. Kamara dominated without showing himself too much, with his turns and ability to keep possession ticking a real asset.
Joel Piroe – 5
Frustrating. That is the one word needed to explain his afternoon where he found plenty of space but never managed to find that critical pass where he could have left with numerous assists. In the end, it wasn’t to be, but he will bounce back quickly, he always does.
Crysencio Summerville – 7
A quiet afternoon for the flying Dutchman as he rarely got on the ball in dangerous positions, as Blackburn potentially singled him out as one to watch. The mistake there is that you can switch off as the defending side and Summerville took full advantage with a lovely chipped finish in the second half.
Dan James – 9
A clinical finish to open the scoring, but there were many moments where being indecisive meant that his final ball was not good enough, Farke will be happy with a high-pressing performance though as he caused carnage throughout – his confidence must be higher than ever right now.
Georginio Rutter – 8
Rutter did everything but score again in this one, but he did give the ball away or lose it far too many times. That comes with the young striker, who will never be told to not express himself and he did manage to grab an assist for his troubles on a wet afternoon as even when it wouldn’t fall to him, he made sure he did all he could.
Substitutes;
Willy Gnonto – 6, Djed Spence – 7, Jaidon Anthony – N/A, Ilia Gruev – N/A, Mateo Joseph – N/A
In other Leeds United news, Robbie Savage predicts Whites to spend “a lot of money” on star in 2024.