Leeds Player Ratings: Preston 0 - 2 Leeds

Leeds United took care of business by beating Preston North End at Deepdale tonight. A Patrick Bamford brace saw him break out of a goal-scoring slump in good fashion. Leeds go into second place in the table with the win, and will be hoping that Sheffield United also fail to get a result against Birmingham City tomorrow night.

For a full recap and highlights, click here.

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STARTING LINEUP

Kiko Casilla:

The goalkeeper had a solid, if unspectacular, match. There wasn’t a lot for him to do before Preston went down to 10 men, and he had a fairly quiet second half. As usual, had a heart-attack inducing moment when coming out of his box to deal with a loose ball, but he’s good enough with the ball at his feet to get away with it. 6/10

Luke Ayling:

Hit the post with a shot and had another shot on net that probably would have tested the keeper with a better shot on net. Otherwise was involved in the build-up play on a number of occasions and looked to get forward and even had a few spells of possession in the middle of the pitch. He seems to have knocked whatever rust he was feeling after coming back from injury off and has been back to his normally good self for the past few weeks. 7/10

Pontus Jansson:

Dealt with almost everything that was put into the Leeds box with typical authority. Also didn’t have a lot to do defensively in the second half, but was critical when defending on set pieces. Another good performance. 6/10

Liam Cooper:

Again, much like Jansson, had very little to do in the second half with Preston’s attack disappearing once they had gone down to 10 men. Looked to play the ball out of the back on a regular basis and showed a decent touch a few times. 6/10

Gjanni Alioski:

Had to get treatment for a head injury early on in the match, but once his head was wrapped up he continued to play pretty well. Got forward well, as he usually does, although he again continued his habit of missing chances while going forward. 6/10

Kalvin Phillips:

Seemed to cover the entire middle of the pitch without any trouble. Popped up to retain possession on a regular basis and snuffed out a few Preston attacks before they even got started in the first half. Another good performance from the midfielder. 8/10

Pablo Hernandez:

Showed the effects of his knock against Birmingham City, but was still extremely important in the side. Wasn’t able to track back or run as much as he would probably have liked, but his link-up play to build on the attacks was, as always, superb. Was involved in the build-up to both goals. 7.5/10

Mateusz Klich:

Almost put the match away in the first half but his shot was literally inches past the post. Was involved in the attack and had a few moments where he looked dangerous. Had a lot more space in the second half and provided the assist for Bamford’s second goal. 7/10

Tyler Roberts:

He must really like playing against Preston. Roberts had the brace earlier in the season when Leeds beat Preston at Elland Road in the league, and had another game where he was all over the opponent’s box. Had a really, really good chance in the first half, but his shot was disappointing. Also had a few opportunities where he took too much time on the ball, but was still getting into open spots on the attack. 7.5/10

Jack Harrison:

Dribbled into trouble a few times more than he should have in the first half, but otherwise was got into good places to start attacks down the wing. Still lacking the final product and would have liked to see him either test the keeper from shots or pass the ball to someone who would. 5.5/10

Patrick Bamford:

Man of the match for scoring two brilliant goals. His first goal was extremely well-struck from outside the box, and it will have done him a world of good to get a goal after two performances that were questionable. Marcelo Bielsa showed a lot of faith in him by not benching him with Roofe also being fit and was rewarded. 8.5/10

SUBSTITUTES:

Gaetano Berardi (77th minute for Harrison):

Came in to play at fullback while Alioksi pushed forward after Leeds had taken the lead. Didn’t have a ton to do defensively, but didn’t really make any mistakes in his limited time on the pitch. Good to see him back on in the team after scoring a goal for the U23s last night. 6/10

Adam Forshaw (83rd minute for Roberts):

Got into a few good areas in the attack in the final few minutes, and helped provide some more defensive-oriented play once Leeds had taken a two goal lead. 6/10

Kemar Roofe (90th minute for Bamford):

Was barely on the pitch. N/A