Leeds United moved up to second in the Championship table after an emphatic and impressive 3-0 win over Plymouth Argyle at Elland Road on Saturday.
All three goals were, bizarrely, scored within eight minutes of each other and all came within the first-half, as the Whites saw out the match in the second 45.
Dan James opened the scoring with a superb finish, before Joel Piroe and Brenden Aaronson added a second and a third shortly after, to secure all three points.
The former Manchester United winger was key to the victory, having scored the opening goal, and put in an excellent performance down the flank.
Dan James’ performance in numbers
The Wales international was teed up by Wilfried Gnonto on the edge of the box and managed to get a brilliant shot away under pressure that went flying into the top corner to make it 1-0.
It was a sublime finish, with defenders closing him down quickly, and it takes his tally to two goals in five starts in the Championship so far this season.
Aside from the goal, however, some of James’ play left a bit to be desired. He only completed three of his ten attempted crosses and failed to create a ‘big chance’ for his teammates.
The right-footed forward also lost three of his five duels in the game, which suggests that the Plymouth players found it a bit too easy to get the better of him at times.
James, due to his struggles at times in other areas, was not the real star of the show for Leeds, as Ao Tanaka was even better than him for Farke on Saturday.
Ao Tanaka’s performance in numbers
The Japan international has benefitted from injuries to Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu to enjoy a string of games in the middle of the park for the Whites, and thrived since coming into the team.
His qualities in and out of possession naturally help Leeds to dictate and control games in midfield, because he has the strength to win duels off the ball as well as the quality to keep play ticking throughout the match.
The Whites ended the afternoon with a whopping 78% of the ball and Plymouth did not have a single shot at goal, which meant that Illan Meslier was not tested at all.
|
Vs Plymouth |
Ao Tanaka |
|---|---|
|
Touches |
133 |
|
Pass accuracy |
91% |
|
Duels won |
5/6 |
|
Tackles + interceptions |
4 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
As you can see in the table above, the former Fortuna Dusseldorf star dominated in duels, winning 83% of his battles, and was incredibly reliable in possession, with a 91% pass success rate.
Tanaka was also awarded a player rating of 8/10 by LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross, who highlighted his dominant display in the midfield for Leeds, and he played a part in the second goal – with his shot deflected into the path of Piroe.
The statistics back up that ‘dominant’ claim, as the central midfielder helped to control the match with his use of the ball and his strength in duels for Leeds.
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The Leeds United midfielder has caught the eye with his impressive performances this season.
Therefore, Tanaka was even better than James, who was fairly average outside of his goal, because his all-round performance was sublime.
