Leeds United needed to beat Middlesbrough by any means necessary on Tuesday night, regardless of the performance and Daniel Farke’s men got the job done at The Riverside.
A huge win that takes Leeds back to the top of the Championship table, with the win coming at the ideal time. Burnley could only draw with Derby County, while Millwall managed to beat Sheffield United.
It was not vintage Leeds by any imagination. The Whites were forced to suffer for large periods of the match against a Boro side sitting in the play-offs and pushing for promotion under boss Michael Carrick.
Leeds scored three perfectly good goals – but Ao Tanaka and Patrick Bamford’s efforts were ruled out. Mark Clattenburg hammered assistant ref Darren Williams, but a Leeds player also got criticism last night.
Manor Solomon body language hammered by Jon Newsome
It is not the first time that Solomon has thrown his toys out of the pram. The on-loan Tottenham man was fuming to have been withdrawn at QPR and once again, Solomon was not happy coming off last night.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds after the win over Middlesbrough, title-winning defender Jon Newsome hammered Solomon for his “petulant” body language when he was substituted on 68 minutes.
“Manor Solomon came off, his body language wasn’t great, didn’t want to come off – petulant again. You don’t want to see players happy to go off but there is a time and a place,” Newsome said about Solomon.
“I would be pulling him to one side and having a word with him. Telling him the things he does well, but have that conversation,” Newsome continued, urging Daniel Farke to take action against the winger.
Manor Solomon’s stats for Leeds against Middlesbrough
This is a player that is expected to join Leeds on a permanent basis this summer, if Leeds do go up. But the winger is doing everything possible to show why Leeds should not spend £10m-£15m to sign him.
He was better on Tuesday night, laying on an assist for Dan James and he should have had another for Ao Tanaka’s finish. But, he was still far from his best with his form in the last few games far from his ceiling.
Manor Solomon stats for Leeds in win vs Middlesbrough:
- 68 minutes played, 7.8 FotMob rating (joint-best for Leeds alongside Karl Darlow)
- XG+XA 0.59, one assist (one disallowed assist)
- One successful dribble, five touches in opposition box
- 46 touches, 30 successful passes, one misplaced pass (97%)
- One defensive action, one interception, four recoveries
- Three duels won, one lost
If Solomon is going to act poorly and show a lack of respect for his teammates then Leeds really need to consider if he is the kind of personality they want in the dressing room, when fighting for survival.
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