Leeds Player Ratings - Burnley 2 - 2 Leeds (Leeds win 5-3 on pens)

Leeds United bounced back from the disappointment of Saturday’s defeat at Millwall to knock out Premier League Burnley on penalties following a nerve wracking 2-2 draw at Turf Moor. Going into the game I didn’t particularly care as we are focused on the league. But my word did I care by the end of this one. Also, have a feeling I will use the word solid a lot.

Time now to look at each player and how they performed. As always you can tell me how wrong I am @mightywhitespod or @ThruItAllLUFC on twitter.

STARTING LINE-UP

Andy Lonergan - A solid first appearance since rejoining the club for the goalkeeper. The two goals conceded (a penalty and a fantastic free-kick) cannot be blamed on him in any way and he was able to make a few good saves. Distribution could have been better and he had one awful Silvestri-esque flap at a corner in the second half but overall a good performance.

Then he saved a penalty in the Shootout and that alone boosts his rating up by .5 of a point. 8/10

Gaetano Berardi - Another great picture of a bloody Berardi to add to the collection topped off what for all but one moment of incredibly naive defending was a solid performance for the Switzerland international. Able to play in his natural right-back slot for once he battled well but the needless grab of the shirt to give away the penalty for the first equaliser cannot be ignored. 7/10

Conor Shaughnessy - Another very impressive performance from the young Irishman. Really think Thomas Christiansen has done him a real service by converting him to a centre-back and it could be the making of him. Did very well in the air against a tall, powerful Burnley side and answered every question that was asked of him. Was also very good on the ball and this made the job easier for the whole team. The more I think about it, the more he impressed me tonight. 8/10

Luke Ayling - Similar level of performance to his centre-back partner Shaughnessy but I give the edge to Shaughnessy just. Another great performance, a different position but his usual self. Every team at our level would kill to have Luke Ayling, and we do. Did well to get out of a few tight areas with the ball at his feet and his defensive positioning was very good. 8/10

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson - The only negative of the night really. CBJ was poor. Gave the ball away far too much, was caught out of position a lot and it was a long time coming when Thomas Christiansen removed him from the pitch. This was a big opportunity for him to stake a 1st team claim as I don’t think Anita has been great at left-back, safe to say he did himself no favours. 4.5/10

Mateusz Klich - Best game in a Leeds shirt. Better than he was against Burton (where he came on in easy circumstances). Made a lot of good interceptions in the middle and outshone his midfield partner. Still played a few sloppy passes but overall thought he was good. Not everyone agrees by the look of twitter but I think he showed his class is there and he will only get better as he gets used to Leeds and English football. Finally, his peanlty in the shootout was calmness personified. 7.5/10

Ronaldo Vieira - Although I said he was outshone by Klich I aren’t saying Vieira was poor. He was solid but no better than that in my opinion. Very committed performance and didn’t let anyone down. Tonight, both central midfielders had to do a disciplined job and they each did that. 7/10

Kemar Roofe - Not his best game but played well enough. Showed his energy by getting into the box and winning the penalty in stoppage time. Couple of blocked shots, a couple of nice passes. Worked hard. Kicked Charlie Taylor which made everyone feel good. Another good game in a good season for him. 7/10

Pawel Cibicki - This performance really split opinion among Leeds fans. Personally, I thought he showed a few touches of quality but not enough to threaten the first XI anytime soon. Far too soon to judge him. Showed a little bit of pace but took some poor set-pieces. On balance, he was fine. 6.5/10

Stuart Dallas - A little bit quiet first half much like Roofe, then moved to left-back when Sacko replaced CBJ where he played better in a less familiar role. Much like Luke Ayling, Dallas seems to be Mr Dependable right now and he showed the confidence he is playing with by tucking away the winning penalty with aplomb. 7.5/10

Jay-Roy Grot - Grot is a raw talent, he has all the physical attributes to succeed in english football but whether the techincal side of his game is up to it remains to be seen. If tonight was the only evidence to go on I would have to say it isn’t up to it. Too many poor first touches and a few times where he was slow to react. Not terrible, but the worst performer not named Cameron. 6/10

SUBSTITUTES

Hadi Sacko (for CBJ, 60mins) - Who saw this coming eh? Sacko showed a lot of things that made him a popular, though frustrating, figure at Leeds last season. The first thing he did was go past Charlie Taylor like he wasn’t there and the pace he showed for his goal was amazing. He still played a few bad passes and gave the ball away too much but I can let that slide. I am delighted for him because a poor performance today could have been the end for his Leeds career. Instead he showed why he can still be a nightmare for defenders and why he could yet have a part to play this season. Well done Hadi Sacko. 7.5/10

Pablo Hernandez (for Cibicki, 79mins) - First touch of the game. As impressive as Sacko’s pace was for his goal, the pass from Hernandez was even better. Hernandez really showed his class in this game and his goal from the penalty spot (plus one in the shootout) topped off a terrific cameo for the Spaniard. Millwall away may not be the game for his style, but tonight certainly was. Man of the Match for me despite only playing 40mins. 8.5/10

Pierre-Michel Lasogga (for Grot, 85mins) - Similar to Grot’s performance really but a little better with his hold up play and his passing. His penalty in the shootout was well taken. 6.5/10

Ezgjan Alioksi (for Roofe, 104mins) - Not on long enough to give him a rating really. Second half of extra time wasn’t a great time to judge as both teams seemed ok with penalties at that point. His penalty in the shootout was another great penalty. N/A

Onto the next round, still not a priority but I really enjoyed tonight. Hopefully it is followed up well on Saturday in front of a full house at Elland Road.

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