Leeds United came out of the FIFA international break with a 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Friday night at Elland Road. The Whites also finally got a victory over a club that’s likely a direct threat to the two automatic Premier League promotion spots.
The Yorkshire side have drawn against West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City, and Sunderland while losing to Burnley. Nonetheless, Daniel Farke and his team secured an impressive result over the Blades and sit second in the Championship, but that could change after Saturday’s results.
Burnley and West Brom could leap over Leeds with wins. Still, it’s all smiles for the Leeds squad and one of the standout performers for them was Japan’s Ao Tanaka, who came from international duty and wowed one pundit.
Ao Tanaka stuns Sky Sports pundits with his performance
Following a scoreless first half, Leeds found their scoring boots in the second half. Pascal Struijk opened the scoring in the 69th and added an insurance goal for the 90th minute to secure the win and the three points.
Moreover, after the mishap against Sunderland, Illan Meslier put together a solid match with a clean sheet for a bounce-back performance.
Tanaka impressed Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe with a flawless performance for Leeds. During the final moments of the 2-0 victory at Elland Road on October 18, the Sky Sports pundit singled out the Japanese international as the standout player of the match, highlighting his exceptional contribution in Daniel Farke’s midfield, which was hit by injuries.
“The two most influential players for me are Joe Rothwell and Tanaka, but [Tanaka] has been truly outstanding,” Hinchcliffe said. “He’s been absolutely everywhere. He’s a versatile player but his reading of what’s needed in that central midfield role was spot on tonight. The perfect performance from him really.”
Leeds must turn the page quickly when they face Watford on Tuesday night. The Whites will look for a second straight win to maintain their second-place finish as the battle heats up.
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