A 25th Championship win of the season came at the perfect time for Leeds United and Daniel Farke on Saturday as they earned maximum points while Sheffield United suffered a third straight defeat.
Leeds climbed to a huge 88 points from 42 Championship games and remain level on points with Burnley in second, thanks to goals from Manor Solomon and Jayden Bogle – though, it should have been more.
Joel Piroe could have had a hat-trick on another day while plenty of other Leeds stars had chances to find the back of the net. However, a 2-1 win while Chris Wilder’s side suffered a shock defeat to Plymouth.
Wilder was guilty of causing an unprovoked fracas in the Home Park tunnel as the pressure got too much for him and his players. Leeds though, continue winning matches and Ilia Gruev was central to the win.
Ilia Gruev shines again as Leeds go five clear of Sheffield United
Leeds have managed to end a run of one win in six games and it has coincided with Gruev coming into the Leeds side, after injuries sustained by Joe Rothwell and Pascal Struijk – with Gruev impressing.
He was in fine form on Saturday once again, seeing out the entire 90 minutes and keeping things ticking for The Whites in midfield. Often understated in his role, Gruev certainly caught the eye on Saturday.
The left-footed star may have endured a frustrating season in which he spent three months out injured, but he is reminding all he can play a part if promoted. Liam Cooper commented on his Instagram post.
He said: “Bulgarian Busquets! Another one ticked off brother”, while Junior Firpo, Manor Solomon and Alex Cairns also commented – the third-choice Leeds goalkeeper describing Gruev as a “grafter”.
Not the first time Ilia Gruev has been likened to Sergio Busquets
Of course, the nickname is slightly tongue in cheek given Busquets is one of the best midfielders to ever play the anchoring role in front of the defence. But in terms of Championship players, Gruev is up there.
The £4m signing from Werder Bremen has been compared to the Spaniard before. Just last month, Jaidon Anthony put promotion rivalry aside to compare Gruev to Busquets after Bulgaria’s 2-1 defeat to Ireland.
Ilia Gruev’s stats for Leeds in win vs Preston:
- 90 minutes played, 7.7 FotMob rating (third-best on pitch behind Solomon and Jayden Bogle)
- 0.27 XG, one big chance missed, one touch in opposition box
- 71 touches (fourth-best), 59 successful passes, six misplaced (91%)
- One duel won, one duel lost
With Joe Rothwell out until at least the final two games of the season and Pascal Struijk sidelined for the rest of the campaign, Gruev is likely to continue in his midfield role for the remaining four league games.
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