There were plenty of Leeds United players who starred on Saturday, as Daniel Farke’s men came within an inch of securing a third Premier League win of the season at home to Bournemouth.
Sean Longstaff was man of the match on Saturday, starring in the middle of the park and laying on both his first goal and first assist in Leeds colours. Gabriel Gudmundsson was superb on the left of defence.
Brenden Aaronson got a standing ovation, while Graham Smyth thinks Jayden Bogle has started better in the Premier League than he did in the Championship at Leeds. Daniel Farke’s men should have won 2-1.
But Bournemouth came roaring back in injury time, Eli Junior Kroupi scoring in the 93rd minute, denying Leeds a result for the second time after 90 minutes. But Troy Deeney has picked one player for praise.
Troy Deeney names Joe Rodon in BBC Sport Team of the Week
Rodon was exceptional, again. Having gone into the season with just two goals at club level, the Wales star not only scored his second goal for Leeds since joining on loan, but his first Premier League goal.
Troy Deeney picked Rodon in his Team of the Week following the end of Everton and West Ham’s 1-1 draw on Monday night. He heaped praise on the Welshman, saying he is the “heart” of what Leeds do.
“He’s at the heart of what Leeds do well. Physical, good on the ball, knows when to go, and knows when to hold. He had a really good all-round game; it was a fantastic header as well. Unlucky not to score two.”
Joe Rodon stats in Leeds United’s draw v Bournemouth
Rodon will be delighted to have got off the mark, getting on the end of a Sean Longstaff corner and scoring, albeit thanks to a little flick off Antoine Semenyo’s head. He needs to do it a lot more this term.
Jermaine Beckford thinks Rodon can score six goals this season, even if he has only scored three goals at club level. Rodon is an excellent player, but scoring goals has never been a big strength of the defender.
Joe Rodon’s stats for Leeds in draw against Bournemouth:
- 90 minutes played, 7.8 FotMob rating (joint-second on pitch)
- XG+XA: 0.33. Nine defensive contributions
- Four shots, two on target, six touches in Bournemouth box
- 37 touches, 18 successful passes out of 22 (82%)
- Two tackles, one interception, three recoveries, five clearances
- Six duels won, one lost
Hopefully, that can improve. Jayden Bogle described Rodon as a “beast” over the weekend and Leeds need him to continue to be that to stand any chance of survival in the Premier League come next May.
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