Despite scoring the goal which puts Leeds United just 90 minutes away from the Premier League, Manor Solomon had the Man of the Match award in his possession for approximately five or six seconds.
Six days after an ‘outstanding’ Solomon dragged Leeds past Preston North End at Elland Road, the Tottenham Hotspur loanee was on hand once again to convert.
As Jayden Bogle capped another superb display with an assist just past the half-hour mark – the right-back is now just one shy of ten goal contributions in a Leeds United shirt – the quality of the delivery was such that Solomon would have found it harder to miss.
He too is on the verge of double figures. Nine goals, nine assists. And still time to make it a round and very satisfying ten apiece.
But as Solomon received the Man of the Match trophy from Sky Sports at full-time, his role was not to carry it on the bus back to Yorkshire but to hand it over to the man – perhaps the only man – who outshone him in a bonafide ‘performance of champions’ at the Kassam Stadium.
Manor Solomon awe-struck by Joe Rodon’s Leeds United masterclass
It was a display destined to spawn countless adoring social media posts and perhaps the odd thousand-word thesis on how a rock-solid backline provides the bedrock of success.
Forget a thousand. Manor Solomon needed only six to sum up Joe Rodon, and perhaps the most dominant, most complete central defensive performance seen from a Leeds player in many a year.
“What a man!,” Solomon beamed. “What a player!”
Not ‘what a defender’, but ‘what a player’. What a footballer.
On a night when Rodon completed no fewer than nine clearance – more than double his usual Championship average against an Oxford side who’s physicality had Daniel Farke concerned pre-match – the Welsh colossus also showcased another, more underrated side of his game.
The records will say that Jayden Bogle set up Solomon’s 33rd minute winner. But it was a move which began at the feet of a defender who, bisecting Gary Rowett’s Oxford with an inch-perfect through ball, set Bogle scampering away down the right.
Solomon and Rodon say roll on Monday as Premier League closes in
On a night when Leeds’ performance was more determined than dazzling, Rodon’s line-breaking pass, Bogle’s weighted cross and Solomon’s ruthless finish was the difference. Not only the difference between one point and three, but potentially the difference between automatic promotion and the play-offs.
Or, perhaps, between a Championship title and a runners-up spot.
“We knew it would be difficult tonight and it really was,” Solomon admits. “We struggled but we got the three points. This is the most important thing for us.
“The job is not done yet. We need to stay humble but I’m waiting for Monday already!
“I am enjoying it so much here, and I want to enjoy it until the end. I’m sure we are going to [secure promotion] but it’s not done yet. Lets bring on Monday!”
“The boys put in a great performance,” Rodon himself adds. “First-half, we possibly could have scored another. But they are dangerous in the transition and we dug in until the end.
“Over the last couple of weeks, we have just focused on ourselves, going back what we are good at. Quick with the ball, clever, limiting other teams with chances. All we do is concentrate on ourselves. That is all that matters
“Not just me but the whole team did everything we needed to do. We will never give up. We will go to the end.”
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