James Murray

Sun 26 May 2024 17:17, UK

Leeds United suffered a devastating defeat as they were beaten by Southampton in the Championship play-off final on Sunday (26 May).

Adam Armstrong put the Saints ahead midway through the first half, with the Whites unable to recover from that setback as they fell to a crushing 1-0 loss at Wembley.

Daniel Farke’s side enjoyed 58 per cent of the possession, but they only managed two shots on target as they missed out on promotion.

Football Insider has analysed the Leeds players’ performances out of 10 against Southampton.

PLAYER RATINGS

Illan Meslier [6]

Despite Leeds’ defeat, Meslier had a decent afternoon in between the sticks. The French goalkeeper was beaten by a tidy finish for Armstrong’s opener before he made a fine stop to deny the forward from making it 2-0 on the verge of half-time. He made two saves and recorded a 79 per cent pass accuracy.

Archie Gray [5]

While the right-back offered little going forward, he was reasonably solid with his defensive duties. The teenager won four of his five duels after making two tackles and two interceptions. He did, however, misplace all three of his long ball forward.

Joe Rodon the pick of Leeds United defenders

Joe Rodon [6]

Rodon didn’t cover Ampadu well enough for Armstrong’s goal and played the forward onside. The defender went on a long-bursting run moments into the second half and was unfortunate to see his effort blocked. He recorded a 91 per cent pass accuracy, made two tackles and blocked one shot as the best performer out of the Leeds defenders.

Ethan Ampadu [4]

It was a poor error from the Welshman as he stepped out too far and allowed Armstrong in behind to put Southampton ahead. While he recorded an 89 per cent pass success rate and was tidy in possession, he didn’t do a great job of ensuring his defence worked as a unit.

Junior Firpo [3]

Firpo was fortunate to escape an early yellow card and didn’t really improve from that moment onwards. The left-back won just three of his nine duels and offered little going forward, having failed to complete his only attempted dribble.

Leeds United midfielders lose numerous battles in defeat

Glen Kamara [4]

While the midfielder recorded an impressive 95 per cent pass success rate, it didn’t do much in terms of helping his side get up the pitch and create chances. The Whites lost the midfield battle throughout the afternoon, with the Finn failing to win a single duel.

Ilia Gruev [4]

Gruev wasn’t much better than his midfield partner. He won just one of his five duels and failed to make a single tackle for his side. He did, however, make one key pass after touching the ball 64 times throughout the afternoon.

Wilfried Gnonto [4]

The winger had an early shot that went straight at the keeper. Gnonto was fouled three times as he tried to help his team provide an attacking threat, but he was only successful with one of his three dribbles after picking up a knock in the first half.

Crysencio Summerville [2]

Summerville had a really poor afternoon by his high standards. The Dutchman whipped an effort past the post at the start of the second half in what was his first real chance. He won just two of his nine duels, gave away possession 15 times and committed four fouls as he was carded. If it’s his last game for Leeds, it’s certainly not how he would have liked to sign off.

Georginio Rutter the best of bad Leeds United attacking bunch

Georginio Rutter [5]

While Rutter was a bit wasteful at times, he was the best of the Whites’ attacking players. The forward made three tackles, won nine of his 16 duels and played one key pass as he tried to make things happen. He did, however, only record a 72 per cent pass accuracy.

Joel Piroe [2]

Piroe was another Leeds attacker not to turn up on the big stage. He lost possession on nine occasions despite only touching the ball 28 times and failed to have a single shot throughout the afternoon. The Dutchman was completely anonymous.

SUBSTITUTES

Daniel James [6]

The winger injected a bit of life into Leeds’ attack as he was desperately unlucky to see an effort come back off the bar.

Connor Roberts [3]

Roberts didn’t provide much off the bench after winning just one of his five duels.

Jaidon Anthony

Anthony struggled to get involved and had just five touches despite playing the final 15 minutes.

Mateo Joseph [N/A]

In other news, Leeds plan to accept £12million midfielder bid.

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