Leeds United secured a huge win at Elland Road on Friday night as they returned from the international break to claim all three points against Sheffield United.
Their opponents had kept six successive clean sheets in the Championship heading into the match and the Whites were able to breach their Stoic defence twice, with both goals coming in the second half.
Captain Pascal Struijk brilliantly guided a corner into the top corner with a sweet half-volley, before substitute Mateo Joseph sealed the win with a composed finish under pressure inside the box.
The Leeds skipper, who opened the scoring, was one of the most impressive performers on the pitch with his work in and out of possession on Friday.
Pascal Struik’s performance against Sheffield United
The Dutch titan, of course, made the breakthrough for the West Yorkshire outfit with a fantastic finish from the corner, but his all-round display was also superb.
Struijk completed 91% of his attempted passes throughout the game, with 75 completed in total, as he remained composed in possession to help build attacks up from the back.
The central defender also won four of his six duels and made three tackles and one interception, to keep the likes of Kieffer Moore, Gustavo Hamer, and Callum O’Hare relatively quiet.
Sheffield United ended the match with just 0.20 xG and zero shots on target against Illan Meslier, which illustrates how well the team defended on the night – Struijk being a huge part of that.
There was one player, however, who was even better than the Leeds captain against the Blades at Elland Road – central midfielder Joe Rothwell.
Joe Rothwell’s performance against Sheffield United
The Bournemouth loanee, who has been given an opportunity after injuries to Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu, was incredible in the middle of the park to dictate the game alongside Ao Tanaka.
Rothwell was described as “influential” by Sky Sports commentator Don Hutchinson during the live coverage, whilst LeedsLive journalist Beren Cross dubbed him ‘immense’ and awarded the star a 9/10 player rating.
They were underselling his performances, if anything, as the central midfielder provided a metronomic presence in midfield to stop Sheffield United from getting anywhere near Leeds for large periods of the game.
Vs Sheffield United
Joe Rothwell
Minutes played
90
Pass accuracy
94%
Key passes
3
Big chances created
1
Interceptions
3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, he completed a whopping 94% of his attempted passes – an even higher success rate than Struijk’s – and the Blades could not stop him from doing what he wanted to do on the ball.
Rothwell was not cautious with his use of possession, either, as he created three chances and one ‘big chance’ – assisting the defender’s goal with a clever corner routine as well.
The English dynamo also showcased his quality off the ball with three interceptions and one block to protect his goal and to win possession back for his side.
As Rothwell’s immense play in and off the ball was so crucial to Leeds’ dominance in the game, and he created the first goal for Struijk, he was the real hero and star of the show for Daniel Farke on Friday.
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