Leeds Player Ratings: Reading 2 - 2 Leeds United

Leeds United drew 2-2 with Reading FC in a match that could easily have seen Leeds finally win away from home for the first time in what seems like years. Leeds had a lead for three minutes in the second half, but an Eunan O’Kane own goal drew Reading level and despite some chances in the second half that were agonisingly close, Leeds were denied a winner and the match ended up in a draw.

Here is a look at how everyone performed, and let me know if I was harsh or generous in the comments or @ThruItAllLUFC on Twitter.

STARTING LINEUP

Bailey Peacock-Farrell: Had a number of good saves in the first half, including a sequence where a goal was almost certain to be scored, only for BPF to paw the ball away. Kept Leeds in the match. Deserved a win for his efforts. 7/10

Gaetano Berardi: Struggled to contain Mo Barrow on the right side of the Leeds defence. Made some last-ditch tackles, but also allowed some crosses and gave up some corners, especially early on. He was always going to struggle to keep up with Barrow, and he put in a good effort when outclasses and without much help. 5/10

Pontus Jansson: Wasn’t at fault for any of the goals, and scored the opening goal for Leeds with a finish that Leeds fans wish that Caleb Ekuban could have. 6/10

Matthew Pennington: Inconsistent, as he did brilliantly to clear the ball off the line after BPF had made a fine save to deny Bodvarrson a second goal, but his passing was often left much to be desired and turned the ball over a bit more than you’d like to see. 6/10

Laurens De Bock: Looked awful defensively again, but wasn’t the horror show that he was against Derby County. Got a few crosses into the box, but they didn’t really lead to any goal scoring chances or connect at all. Should be dropped to give Tom Pearce a chance against Sheffield Wednesday. 3.5/10

Adam Forshaw: Had the assist on Jansson’s goal, as he did well to get into a good passing position for Saiz to find him and get the ball to Jansson instead of going for glory himself. Has been the most consistent performer for Leeds since arriving from Middlesbrough, and today was no exception. 7/10

Eunan O’Kane: Was better than he has been in the past, but that was more down to Reading not being as good as some of the other teams Leeds have faced this season. His own goal was a little unfair, as it was a good shot from Leandro Bacuna, but it’s not surprising that his contribution to the match was a own goal. 5/10

Gjanni Alioski: Worked hard and did well to almost score from very little on a couple different occasions. Should have been rewarded with a goal after he challenged Jaakkola and almost knocked the ball into the net. 7/10

Samu Saiz: Did well to pick out Pablo Hernandez for the 2nd Leeds goal, and also did well to get the ball to Forshaw to pick out Jansson for the first goal. However, he often takes the ball on and relies on his dribbling to get himself out of trouble. Could have set up Dallas instead of taking the ball on himself in extra time, and often too selfish at critical times. Of course, with how terrible other players have been, I guess that’s to be expected. 6/10

Pablo Hernandez: Man of the Match for me. Scored a great goal, created chance after chance, and in general was the most dangerous player in a Leeds shirt all day. It’s worrying that he hasn’t signed a new contract yet, but all in due time, right? 7/10

Caleb Ekuban: This is where my opinion differs from most other Leeds fans. Yes, he works hard, but boy can he not shoot. He won a corner or two in the second half, but it’s telling that the Reading defenders left him alone at times, willing him to shoot from outside the box. Washing machines work hard. He has pace, but no finishing. Not good enough for this level. 4.5/10

SUBSTITUTES:

Pierre-Michel Lasogga (came on for Caleb Ekuban in the 77th minute): Almost had an extremely unlikely goal after deflecting a clearance from Reading keeper Jaakkola. Probably needs more than 15 or so minutes to get involved in a match. 6/10

Stuart Dallas (85th minute, on for Hernandez): N/A