Leeds United put another win on the board on Tuesday night, thumping Watford at Vicarage Road.
Right now, there seems to be no stopping Leeds United in the Championship. Daniel Farke’s side blew away Watford on Tuesday night with thoroughly convincing and deserved win, with several stars of the show.
One was Dan James who opened the scoring with a neatly taken one-on-one, doubling the lead soon after in the same fashion before Manor Solomon’s defected effort made it 3-0 before half-tome.
Joel Piroe then scored arguably the goal of the night on the hour mark, weaving through several defenders before poking the ball into the corner for his 14th Championship goal of the season.
Leeds United player ratings vs Watford
Illan Meslier – 6/10
Barely anything to do. Some decent passes though and he was alert throughout. Pulled out a good save late on.
Junior Firpo – 7/10
Got forward on a couple of occasions, more so in the second half when it looked like Watford placed their defensive focus on the right and on stopping James. Got himself another assist.
Ethan Ampadu – 7/10
Swept up well and passed the ball nicely. Same again in the second half as the Welshman beds in at centre-back and keeps Pascal Struijk on the bench.
Joe Rodon – 7/10
Commanding in the air and neat in possession. In truth, not a whole lot of defending for Rodon to do. it was more about keeping the shape, not letting any gaps open, and cutting out attacks before they became dangerous.
Jayden Bogle – 7/10
Didn’t get the chance to get forward too much in the first half, but defended well and linked up well with James when he had the chance. Another solid outing for Bogle who defended well and made an impact going forward too.
Ilia Gruev – 6/10
Didn’t have a lot of possession in the first half but looked tidy when he did get on the ball. It was largely the same case in the second half with Gruev at times just putting in the yards whilst others arund him provided the quality on the ball.
Ao Tanaka – 9/10
Came up with some really important defensive actions in the first half. But throughout the game he was a livewire and a thorn in Watford’s side at both ends, with his weaving run and passes causing havoc. Played a key role in Piroe’s goal.
Manor Solomon – 8/10
Lively as ever. Worked hard down that left side and was rewarded with a fairly fortunate goal, before grabbing himself an assist for Piroe’s goal in the second half. Another tricky and energetic performance form the Spurs loan man who could be up for sale in the summer.
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Brenden Aaronson – 8/10
May have silenced some critics against Watford with a really solid performance. Whenever he got on the ball he made a neat pass either out wide or into the path of an attacker. He was good again after the break, albeit perhaps not as impactful as he was in the first 45, though a really good performance overall.
Dan James – 9/10
What is there to say about Dan James? Watford just couldn’t handle his pace and the Hornets goalkeeper couldn’t handle his pinpoint finishing. Watford clearly made changes at half-time to keep James from bursting through their midfield and defensive lines. But a clinical night for the Welshman, who Dominic Matteo says has become a ‘leader’ for Leeds.
Joel Piroe – 8/10
Didn’t really trouble the goalkeeper in the first 45 despite having some good sights of goal. Did make a nice assist for James’ second goal though, generally playing well in attacking build ups. Then in the second half, he showed off his incredible footwork which often doesn’t get talked about, as he netted one of his best goals of the season.
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