Daniel Farke, by his own admission, expected something a little better a player who has proven himself to be a pretty reliable source of end-product over the last two years at Leeds United.
It has become a trademark ‘finisher move’, to use WWE parlance.
Dan James picks up the ball on the right-hand side of the penalty area and drills his shot – low, hard and with laser-like precision – into the far corner.
And as a precise first touch earned James a rare pocket of space inside the Burnley box, with just 18 minutes on the clock, the home support may have feared that Scott Parker’s outstanding backline would be breached for only the tenth time in 29 Championship matches.
They needn’t have worried.
Because James, following a probing Jayden Bogle pass, failed to get the ball under his spell before he scuffed a weak volley across the face of James Trafford’s goal and out of play.
It speaks volumes about James’ usual dead-eyed accuracy that this – a relatively low ‘XG’ chance that many second-tier forwards could only dream of putting away – is seen as a genuine chance for Leeds United’s jet-heeled number seven.
And while the £25 million signing would come far closer late on – denied by Trafford on 88 minutes with the game’s only shot on target – former Elland Road boss Simon Grayson feels that the winger’s earlier opportunity will be one which left James struggling to sleep on after making the return journey across the Pennines on Monday night.
Dan James comes closest as Leeds United fail to break down Burnley
“Dan will be absolutely gutted,” sighs Grayson. “Because the first-half chance was a lot easier than the second-half chance and he didn’t even work the goalkeeper.
“That sort of sums up the way the game had gone as well.”
It was certainly an encounter low on quality.
Games like this are often decided either by a defensive blunder, or a moment of unexpected brilliance. With both Burnley and Leeds at the peak of their powers defensively, and as James, Manor Solomon, Brenden Aaronson and Joel Piroe were all largely ineffective, a 0-0 draw felt increasingly inevitable as time ticked on.
Daniel Farke highlighted Dan James’ snatched finish as a ‘what could have been moment’ himself, albeit while taking the positives out of a result which keeps his side clear at the top of the table.
Daniel Farke sees positives and negatives as Leeds stay top of the Championship
“A good result. We’ve played a difficult away game against one of the best sides in this league. Another clean sheet, that’s pretty good,” Farke said post-match, feeling that his Leeds forwards were perhaps guilty of over-thinking at times when those rare chances fell their way.
“Our decision making in the oppositions box, when you face a team who are this good at defending, you have to anticipate. A cross came in and Brenden Aaronson was surprised [and didn’t react quickly enough].
“I think we were a bit nervous. With Daniel James, eight out of ten times, he scores form this angle [when firing across goal in the 18th minute]. Not his best finish.
“Everyone speaks about how good Burnley are and, when there is a chance, maybe you are overthinking a little bit. This is the only thing I can criticise. If we had been a bit more committed [to scoring] or brave, you could create a few more chances
“Nevertheless, overall we can live with a point.”
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