Pascal Struijk self-destructs, Daniel Farke hooks stand-out star – Leeds United player ratings vs Aston Villa
Daniel Farke saw his Leeds United side throw away a home lead to lose 2-1 at the hands of Aston Villa.
The Whites took the lead in chaotic fashion after eight minutes, when Ezri Konsa’s clearance went in off Lukas Nmecha after Sean Longstaff’s free kick, in a largely-dominant first half at Elland Road.
It took a lengthy VAR review for offside and a possible foul on Emi Martinez before the goal was given, with Anton Stach hurt when he landed awkwardly after beating the keeper in the air.
Villa were level just a couple of minutes into the second half as Donyell Malen’s ball from the right was diverted past Lucas Perri by Morgan Rogers.
Rogers added his second with a quarter of an hour left with a dipping free kick from the edge of the box after Pascal Struijk‘s mistimed lunge on Ross Barkley, to heap Leeds sack pressure back on Farke.
Dan James appeared to have hit back immediately, but after a review his ball had been diverted onto Dominic Calvert-Lewin‘s hand and in by Martinez and it was disallowed.
Pascal Struijk gets it wrong at both ends
In the first 45 minutes it was difficult to criticise anyone in a Leeds shirt as there were shades of the rampaging Marcelo Bielsa sides of old.
Speculation around a Leeds return for Bielsa may be mounting as clouds gather over Farke, and the performance after the break hasn’t helped him at all, with Nmecha not doing much throughout aside from the goal going in off him.
Much of the control that had been on show in defence and midfield evaporated as the Whites regressed and Villa improved, with Struijk arguably the shakier of the back four even before some crucial negative involvements late on.
It was the Dutch defender’s late, sliding foul on Barkley right on the edge of the box that almost conceded a penalty from which the visitors could complete their turnaround.
It looked like he was lucky to be inches outside the area, but it proved to be no safer as Rogers stepped up and scored anyway.
A short while later Struijk had probably the best chance to level outside of Calvert-Lewin’s disallowed handball, as he rose high and looked odds-on to nod back across goal and in. But he directed his effort straight down at Martinez and it was well saved.
At times like these moments like that can be crucial and here they proved to be the difference.
Farke makes bizarre moves with Ao Tanaka
Farke won’t have done himself any favours when whatever half-time team talk he gave seemed to reduce the effectiveness of his players, and nor will he have done so with his decision to withdraw the first-half substitute Ao Tanaka.
The Japanese midfielder had come on early as a concussion replacement for Stach after his role in the opening goal, and had looked like he was running the action in the middle of the park.
His effectiveness may have reduced along with his teammates after the break but he was still busy and tidy on the ball, as he so often was in the Championship last term.
It felt like there was far greater danger of him finding a crucial final ball around the Villa box than either Brenden Aaronson or Sean Longstaff, as the American often undid good work by running into dead ends, and the Englishman more likely to fire high and wide.
No player likes to come off the bench and still not finish the game and Tanaka certainly didn’t seem to deserve that, unless the tactical change made all the difference.
Instead, what control Leeds did have in the middle was lost and aside from the disallowed goal and Struijk’s squandered header it never looked like the home side were going to rescue a result.
Leeds United ratings vs Aston Villa
Lucas Perri – 5
Jayden Bogle – 6
Joe Rodon – 7
Pascal Struijk – 3
Gabriel Gudmundsson – 7
Sean Longstaff – 6
Ethan Ampadu – 5
Anton Stach (off for Tanaka ’23) – 7
Brenden Aaronson (off for Piroe ’80) – 6
Noah Okafor (off for Gnonto ’80) – 6
Lukas Nmecha (off for James ’71) – 4
Substitutes
Ao Tanaka (on for Stach ’23, off for Calvert-Lewin ’71) – 8 – Man of the Match
Dan James (on for Nmecha ’71) – 6
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (on for ’71) – 5
Willy Gnonto (on for Okafor ’80) – 6
Joel Piroe (on for Aaronson ’80) – 5
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