Leeds United are six games into their Premier League campaign and already there has been plenty of ups and downs. The Whites have seen off Wolves and Chelsea to claim their only two wins of the season so far, while points have come against Southampton and Everton to ensure Jesse Marsch’s side sit in mid-table at present.
Supporters have been treated to some outstanding individual performances, too, this season, and here, Leeds Live take a look at three.
Brenden Aaronson vs Chelsea
Aaronson was one of United’s star performers on his debut for the club against Wolves, harassing defenders and forcing the decisive own goal from Rayan Ait-Nouri in the second half of the contest. He showed glimpses of his talents against Southampton, too, playing in the central number 10 role for the first time in a Leeds shirt.
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However, he truly announced himself to the worldwide Premier League audience with his performance against Chelsea as he terrorised the Blues from start to finish. Within just nine minutes his ability on the half-turn had seen the clumsy Kalidou Koulibaly booked for bringing him down and his work off the ball was a joy to watch, hounding defenders and putting the FIFA Club World Cup holders under real pressure.
That tenacity paid off just after the half hour mark as Aaronson made a fool of Edouard Mendy, stealing the ball off the goalkeeper and poking it into the empty net before celebrating in front of a raucous South Stand. His ball control in tight spaces brought Elland Road to its feet on more than one occasion and his grasp on the contest lasted until he was replaced to a standing ovation in the 83 rd minute.
It was Aaronson’s third appearance for the club, but it was enough to establish himself as a crowd favourite at Elland Road. Leeds made the move to sign Aaronson as soon as survival was confirmed in May and with performances like the one against Chelsea, it’s not hard to see why.
The American is currently away on international duty, but he’ll be aiming to kick on when he returns to West Yorkshire for what is a key period in the Premier League campaign.
Rodrigo vs Southampton
The start of the season could not have gone much better for Rodrigo as he scored four goals in the opening three games and two came in the clash at St Mary’s Stadium. Unfortunately, his goals weren’t enough to secure all three points in the blazing south coast sunshine, but it certainly saw his confidence go through the roof.
Rodrigo struggled to shine consistently during his first two seasons at Elland Road, but his double against Southampton, was enough to suggest things could be set to click into place for him in West Yorkshire. The first half was a tough watch at times as the heat seemed to sap the energy of both teams, but Rodrigo, who was playing in the secondary striker role, did create a couple of chances.
His low cross to the front post, probably should have been turned home by Patrick Bamford, who seemed to lose his bearings, and it was his glancing header that Kristensen should have finished at the back post. The 31-year-old was handed the captaincy after Bamford left the field through injury and he made the move up front at the break.
Rodrigo saw instant success in the role, too, dashing to the near post and flicking home Jack Harrison’s cross within a minute of the restart. He was celebrating again four minutes later, putting himself in the way of Pascal Struijk’s goal-bound header to nod home from a yard.
The fans could be heard singing his name throughout the clash at Southampton and when he scored against Chelsea a week later, his popularity rose to an all-time high. Unfortunately, he dislocated his shoulder in the draw with Everton and hasn’t been seen since, but when he returns to fitness, he has a rather large argument to start ahead of Bamford and lead the line for the Whites.
Tyler Adams vs Chelsea
Aaronson picked up plenty of plaudits for his performance against Chelsea, but so did Adams as he also cemented himself as a favourite at Elland Road. The American had played well without really catching the eye in the two games prior to the Blues’ visit in August, but he took the opportunity to show what he is all about on the largest platform.
Adams was quite simply relentless against Thomas Tuchel’s side, chasing every ball and hounding his midfield opposition to ensure they could not find the space or time needed to get the top four hopefuls going. The likes of Connor Gallagher, Jorginho and Mason Mount failed to make an impact on the contest and that was down to Adams’ ability to read danger and make himself a real pest.
Having played under him in New York and Leipzig, Adams knows what Marsch wants from his midfielders and he pulled it off to a tee against Chelsea in what is undoubtedly his best performance in a Leeds shirt, so far. The 23-year-old was arguably Leeds’ best against Everton a week and a half later and he was certainly one of those who played well at Brentford last time out.
It seems the midfielder has settled into Premier League football seamlessly and he’ll be a key man over the coming weeks as Leeds look to move up the table.
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