Player Match Ratings: Back down to earth with a bump!

[John]

Our 100%-win record and unbeaten run of 8 games, came to a grinding halt last night. As has happened on each of the previous occasions, that we had won our first four games of the season, we went on to lose our fifth. We missed the chance to climb to the top of the table and we also failed to set a new club record, last night.  

It could have been so different though, had the referee not applied the “Vidic rule” that a player should not be sent off too early, whether it was merited or not, in a game against Aston Villa (Struijk was the beneficiary on this occasion, as his foul on Douglas warranted a second yellow after just 11 minutes). Or had Ayling not somehow managed to scoop Grealish’s 26th minute shot off the goal line. Or had Costa been adjudged to have brought Grealish down just inside the box on 42 minutes (I have seen penalties given for less at Anfield and Old Trafford) but VAR said no. Or had Jack’s terrific 52nd minute run from well inside his own half to the edge of the 6-yard box, ended in the match-winning goal that it was so worthy of.

Oh, and it just had to be a Bamford hat-trick that won it for them didn’t it? Once again, he demonstrated last night that he is not averse to cheating. Firstly, he theatrically went down inside the box in an attempt to win a penalty, after his foot had brushed the foot of the falling Mings after 64 minutes. He then tumbled to the ground and had prolonged treatment for a non-existent injury, in the hope that would influence VAR’s decisions on the penalty and on the possible dismissal of Mings. His melodramatic, dishonest, and unsporting behaviour shows no sign of changing on this evidence.

Opposing supporters claim that Jack goes down easily, but Bamford is like Bambi on ice, inside the penalty area by comparison. His team were once called “Dirty Leeds”, but players like Norman Hunter and Jack Charlton who were part of that excellent team, would have had the same furious reaction as Tyrone Mings had last night to Bamford’s dishonourable attempt to get a fellow professional sent off.  

Newly promoted Leeds started strongly and despite being without Phillips and Cooper, were clearly intent on going toe to toe, with a team that had won every game up until then this season and had dispatched the current league champions 7-2 in their last home game. They are not suffering from any inferiority complex on their return to the top-flight. They shaded the first half and ran away with the game in the second once they had gone ahead, after we had ourselves made a bright start to the second half.       

What this game shows is that our team must be performing at their best to win games and cannot take any game for granted. This game was decided by the first goal. It deflated us alarmingly and it invigorated our already lively visitors, who went on to dominate the second half. Had we scored first; it may have had the reverse impact upon the two teams.      

Leeds broke swiftly and in numbers, particularly during the second half. They are a fit outfit, and they did a number on us yesterday. Our defences were breeched too regularly and too easily. They exposed us on both flanks at will and they moved forward with pace and movement, past our tiring players. Bielsa had spotted a way to put pressure on us in much the same way that we had done, in our last home game against Liverpool and his team put it into practice, as well as we had done.    

This was undoubtably a bad result, but it does not end our hopes for the season. It was 3-0, rather than 2-7 and if Liverpool can regard that defeat as a blip, we can do the same with this one. We were never going to win every game. This will not be the last surprising result this season. We would all have happily taken 12 points from our first five games, at the start of the season. We are still second in the league and a point behind the leaders with a game in hand. We also are 2 points ahead of Leeds with a game in hand, so although they deserved this win, we can still regroup and finish above them. We do need to formulate a Plan B for when games like this one, need pulling out of the fire though!

My player ratings from a game that we now need to bounce back from are:

Emiliano Matinez – 6 – Saved low at his near post from Harrison on 47 minutes. Got a hand to Rodrigo’s 55th minute shot, which had gone past two defenders, after he had run into the left of the box, but the loose ball fell to Bamford inside the 6-yard box. He steered the ball inside the near post to the left of Mings and Emiliano for their first. Had no chance with the 67th minute second from the same player, who powered a shot into the top right-hand corner from the edge of the box.

Bamford was found in space inside the box on 74 minutes and neither Targett or Mings challenged him, before he threaded the ball between Konsa and Mings, into the top left hand corner of the net, past Emiliano’s despairing dive for their third. Saved a 71st minute shot from the edge of the box from Klitch, low at his right-hand post and easily gathered an effort from within the box from Dallas a minute later. Easily held an 86th minute Bamford header that was straight at him.  

Matty Cash – 7 – His defending was certainly put to a stern test last night by Harrison and he passed that test doing well when under considerable pressure.  

Ezri Konsa – 6 – The better of our two central defenders last night. Hit a 54th minute Barclay corner on the volley, that the alert Meslier tipped over the bar      

Tyrone Mings – 5 – Could have received his marching orders on 64 minutes, when understandably seeing red and lifting Bamford up off the ground by his shirt, after the striker had embarrassed himself once again, by seeking an unjustified penalty.      

Matt Targett – 5 – Helder Costa was at his best last night and Matt found coping with him to be a difficult task. Found inside the box by Jack on 75 minutes, he turned and hit a shot that deflected off a defender that was positioned a couple of yards in front of him.               

John McGinn - 5 – Made a couple of good forward runs. Skied a 26th minute shot over from outside the box, after Douglas had headed the ball to him and hit a 94th minute shot just over from the edge of the area.    

Douglas Luiz – 7 – Had an exceptional first half.                       

Ross Barclay – 5 – Had a 30-yard shot comfortably saved by Meslier on 17 minutes and hit a 76th minute shot from outside of the box wide of the left-hand post.              

Jack Grealish – 7 – MOTM – Watkins did well to win the ball on the right, leaving Ayling behind him as he moved into the box. He then played the ball into the middle for Trez who only got the faintest of touches on the ball when trying to turn it in from 8 yards out, the ball then ran to the left hand side of the 6-yard box, where Jack turned and hit a shot past Meslier, only for Ayling to clear the ball off the line.

Jack picked up the ball on the edge of the box on 42 minutes and had moved just inside the area, when Costa ran behind him and made contact with him. That contact may have only been slight, but VAR seemed very content to determine that it was insufficient to have unbalanced Jack, who went to ground. Won a challenge with Costa a few yards outside his own box on 52 minutes and then went on a fantastic run to the edge of the box and then from the left of the box to the right edge of the 6-yard box having ran past a number of opponents who were unable to prevent his progress, where he hit a shot that Meslier blocked with his legs at the near post.            

Mahmoud Trezeguet – 5 – Worked hard enough, but there was no end product.                               

Ollie Watkins – 6 – Had an opportunity to get a late consolation goal in the 90th minute. McGinn was fouled as he made a strong forward run, but the referee played advantage and Barclay picked up the ball and ran towards the edge of the box. He then played the ball into the area for Ollie, who took a touch before hitting a shot from the right edge of the 6-yard box past Meslier, but also wide of the far post.

Substitute:

Bertrand Traore – 5 - Replaced Trez on 66 minutes and failed to make any positive impression on the game during the time he was on the field.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

[Podster]

We have to be realistic, Leeds was never going to be an easy game, and judging by the ammount that said we would get 15 points  from the next 5 games (including the Leeds game) it is easy to see how wrong the mindset was of many fans, and I imagine the players themselves thought it was 3 points they were going to get, they had plenty of recovery from their last game but were still off the pace of leeds, even more so from the time of the first goal to the end of the game. They played like they did in many of last seasons matches, lets just score a goal, and not enough concentration at the back. They underestimated the attacking power of Leeds. I am sure the players would have had a different approace if the had been playing Aresenal on friday. Lets hope they learn from it. As for the player rating you have given John, I believe you are spot on.

Edited October 25, 2020 by Podster