MOT View: Cooper return timely as Berardi not good enough v Luton
The trip to Luton Town on Saturday could have been tricky for Leeds United and Marcelo Bielsa will have been delighted as his side came away with all three points in a 2-1 win.
Liam Cooper was named on the bench after limping out of the game against Blackburn, as Gaetano Berardi and Pablo Hernandez returned to the starting line up.
The Swiss enforcer was not good enough at Kenilworth Road, and having Cooper back available is a huge boost for Leeds.
Luton are known for the physical presence in their squad from back to front, and the Hatters were a menace with their balls into the box.
After Patrick Bamford gave Leeds the lead, the celebrations were cut short less than five minutes later through James Collins.
That gave the home side the impetus in the game, and Bielsa reacted by taking Berardi off and replacing him with Cooper – a move that ultimately saw Leeds wrest back control of the game.
Cooper came onto the pitch and immediately got on the ball alongside Ben White to help push Leeds forward, which led to the winner in added time.
Looking at the attacking momentum graph from SofaScore, you can see how the game shifted back into Leeds’ favour once Cooper came on to the field.
Berardi has only won two aerial battles per game according to WhoScored so far this season, and that struggle was consistently exploited.
Cooper, White, Luke Ayling, and Kalvin Phillips all average more to highlight his lack of height in important areas.
The return of Cooper will be key to any success over Christmas, and we believe his quick recovery could be the difference in the busy period.
In other Leeds news, ‘Is there anything he can’t do?’ – These Leeds fans loving one player in 2-1 win v Luton