Kealan Hughes

Sat 13 March 2021 21:00, UK

Leeds United battled well to draw 0-0 with Chelsea on Saturday but some key players were far from their best.

Raphinha and Jack Harrison did not enjoy too much joy in attack and the Whites had to depend on some solid defending and saves from Illan Meslier to earn a point.

Chelsea have now conceded just two goals in ten games and we came very close to scoring on a number of occasions, so there are a lot of positives to take from the game.

The only real downside was the injury to Patrick Bamford, who had to be subbed before half-time.

Rodrigo was also far from his best and was the latest to be subbed as a sub.

Here are the MOT Leeds News player ratings.

Illan Meslier 8 – Kept us in the game with two brilliant saves either side of half-time, especially his low stop to deny Christian Pulisic. Will be very pleased with his eight saves [SofaScore] that contributed to a well-earned clean sheet,

Luke Ayling 8 – Was very lucky he did not cause an own goal in the first-half when his attempted clearance clattered against Llorente and then struck the bar. Other than, that a very good performance up against a good player in Hakem Ziyech.

Diego Llorente 8 – Dealt with Chelsea’s fluid style really well. Some centre-backs may struggle by not having a striker to mark but not Llorente. This was a game where his top-flight experience really showed.

Pascal Struijk 8 – Hasn’t featured at centre-back for a few weeks and was playing with a knock so did brilliantly considering the circumstances. Could possibly keep Liam Cooper out full-time if he can maintain this kind of display.

Gjanni Alioski 5 – The 29-year-old had a nightmare up against Pulisic who ran him ragged throughout. The American is great on the ball but he was allowed into the box far too often. We can see why Bielsa has dropped the left-back in recent games.

Kalvin Phillips 8 – Kept a close eye on dangermen Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Ziyech. Gareth Southgate was in attendance and should have liked what he saw – a faultless display.

Stuart Dallas 6 – A tireless performance as usual but lacked the dynamic edge he usually possesses. He was dribbled past four times [SofaScore] and didn’t keep possession well enough to put us on the front foot.

Tyler Roberts 8 –  So unlucky not to get a goal and simply was not his day in that department. Had one ruled out for offside and another brilliant shot hit the underside of the bar. There are some positives to take from this display however as he stretched Chelsea and got in behind the defence effectively. Was awarded the BT Sport Man-of-the-match.

Raphinha 6 – Tried to do a little too much at times. He is our most talented player and clearly knows it but needed to be a little more selfless at times as he ran down blind alleys. Should have scored with a good opportunity in the second half.

Jack Harrison 5 – Another quiet game for the winger. 57% pass accuracy exemplifies his dip in form and he was rightly hauled off for Helder Costa just after the hour mark.

Patrick Bamford 5 – Struggled to impact the game before being forced off through injury in the first half. Sloppy on the ball which is rare for him.

Subs

Rodrigo 5 – Was left isolated up-front for the most part but a couple of sharp touches in and around the box, including setting up Raphinha’s chance. Should have scored a free header with 15 minutes remaining. Subbed off despite replacing Bamford.

Helder Costa – 5

Mateusz Klich – 5

In other Leeds United news, Rodrigo states why he has not been playing his best at Leeds.