Mateo Joseph and Archie Gray were two of Leeds United’s stars against Chelsea last night.
A much-changed Leeds side went toe-to-toe with their Premier League opposition last night and were only beaten courtesy of Conor Gallagher’s 90th minute winner off the bench.
Joseph had given Leeds the lead early on with his first ever goal for the club, before Nicolas Jackson and Mykhaylo Mudryk turned the game around just before the break.
The 20-year-old then headed in his second of the night in a dominant performance by Leeds after half-time, a period in which Gray also showed exactly what he can do.
Despite defeat, it is a night that Joseph won’t forget in a hurry, while Gray’s Man of the Match award against a £200 million midfield will also be something to remember.
Joseph sheds light on Gray conversation
Speaking in an interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post, Joseph says both he and Gray shared a moment together in the dressing room over how far they have come together.
He said: “We were there in the shower, we hugged each other, we said ‘remember when we were playing here with the 21s’. Hopefully it’s a long journey with him and we can bring to the club big things and so many wins.”
Both Joseph and Gray were key players in the U21s last season and are now very much in the first team reckoning, all be it the former has had to wait significantly longer for a chance than the latter.
Gray has played at right-back for much of the season but showed yesterday against top class opponents that midfield is, and always will be his position in the long-term, as great uncle Eddie alluded to pre-match.
Joseph, meanwhile, will be hoping he has done enough to earn himself a proper opportunity in the league, with his only two starts this season coming in the FA Cup.
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