Mark Smith

Mon 3 February 2020 15:26, UK

Leeds United Under-23s drew 2-2 against Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Monday afternoon, ending their two-match winning streak.

Carlos Corberan had a very strong squad to call upon, with January signing Jean-Kevin Augustin starting with Ian Poveda also on the bench.

It was a quiet first half with not much happening, the best chance falling to Augustin, who forced a good save out of the Wednesday keeper with a low drive.

In typical Leeds fashion, they fell behind against the run of play. A low free-kick was not dealt with by Illan Meslier, allowing a tap in to make it 1-0.

Leeds equalized when a cross into the box from a Niall Huggins freekick beat everyone and found the bottom corner.

It was short-lived though as Wednesday regained the lead a matter of minutes later.

Drama is never far away from Leeds United, and they equalized right at the death. Bryce Hosannah whipped in a dangerous ball that was diverted into his own net by an Owls defender.

Here are our MOT Leeds News player ratings from the 2-2 draw…

Illan Meslier – 7

Made a cracking save early on when Wednesday were in on goal. Apart from that it was a quiet one, his distribution was once again top-notch – the least we expect from the Frenchman. Was at fault for the opening goal, not dealing with a ball into the box.

Bryce Hosannah – 6

Had very little defending to do down his side. Hosannah was very quiet for a change and unusually rarely ran at his man. When he did, he caused problems – forcing the last gasp equalizer.

Olly Casey – 4

Moved into midfield and it didn’t suit him one bit. The young defender is much better further back and lacked the confidence and authority on the ball – putting his side in danger on a number of occasions.

Charlie Cresswell – 7

Another solid display from the youngster who continues to stand out in the 23s. He was somewhat lucky to stay on the pitch though, after reacting to a bad tackle by putting his hand round the neck of the Wednesday winger.

Pascal Struijk – 6

Much more comfortable in his usual central position, he got on the ball and sprayed it around with ease. He struggled and left-back but looked on the road to being back to his best in this one, before his poor positioning allowed the Owls to regain the lead.

Jack Jenkins – 6

Jenkins played far too deep when moving into midfield. He is at his best when moving forward on the ball but too often found himself in the middle of defence when in possession.

Liam McCarron – 6

Playing in an unfamiliar role of left-back, McCarron was solid enough. He missed a couple of tackles forcing him to make fouls, but offered good support moving forward for the Whites.

Jordan Stevens – 5

Very sloppy. Had spells where he has silky on the ball causing problems. He would ruin that by losing possession despite having a simple pass to make in the middle of the park.

Niall Huggins – 7

The Welsh youth international was moved more central on Monday, and it allowed him into more dangerous areas. Huggins got the equaliser with a somewhat fortuitous free-kick which fooled everyone before finding the net.

Bobby Kamwa – 7

One thing you always get with Kamwa is pure pace. The winger caused problems once again but struggled with his end product – something which seems to be affecting winters in all age groups at Elland Road.

Jean-Kevin Augustin – 6

Quiet first half, looked very heavy when making runs in the final third. Had a good chance which he hit early, forcing a good save.

Substitutes:

Ian Poveda – 6, Gaetano Berardi – 6, Jamie Shackleton – 6

In other Leeds United news, fans have reacted to Augustin’s display on Monday.