Punching the air, Rasmus Kristensen let out a huge roar after putting his body in between Leeds United’s goal and a Jordan Ayew shot. It was a moment of celebration as he kept the scores level at Selhurst Park at what seemed to be a crucial point of the game.
But, it was also a moment of extreme satisfaction for the Dane, who after struggling for form in the first few weeks of the campaign has been forced to deal with criticism and doubters. He seems to be finding his feet in the Premier League now, though, and although Sunday’s game with Crystal Palace ended with a 2-1 defeat for the Whites, it was undoubtedly Kristensen’s best performance in a white shirt since arriving at the club from Red Bull Salzburg over the summer.
He did well against Aston Villa at the start of the month, but eyes were on the right-back leading into the game with most singling out his battle with Wilfried Zaha as the key battle to watch. Kristensen had clearly done his homework, though, and in his 84 minutes on the pitch he barely gave Zaha an inch.
Read more: Every word Jesse Marsch said on Leeds United's defeat, injuries, Brenden Aaronson and morale
The dangerous Ivory Coast international was regularly forced to drop deep just to get his foot on the ball and when he did try to turn, Kristensen was in his grill and ready to steal back possession. He wasn’t beaten, he remained disciplined, for the most part, and his positioning was impeccable, consistently putting himself in the right place to snuff out the danger.
Frustration was etched onto the face of Zaha at times as he failed to escape the blond-haired Scandinavian. The skilled Palace wideman will make short work of several full-backs this year and he will have fancied his chances of giving Kristensen an afternoon in south London to forget.
However, while the likes of Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Odsonne Edouard found joy inside, Zaha was kept quiet by a man visibly growing in confidence game by game now. Jesse Marsch has been asked about his man’s form on a regular basis this season so far, and, despite the disappointing result, he was only too happy to discuss Kristensen to journalists in the Palace media suite.
“Very pleased,” he said proudly. “He knew it was a big challenge to play Zaha. We had a really good discussion last night about a few different things about his time here and really committing to developing and committing to the difficulty of what this league is and believing in himself.
“I thought that was easily his best performance in the Leeds kit. So I'm really happy for him and yeah, unlucky on the day that it leads to a loss.”
Self-belief is something Kristensen looked short of in the opening stages of the season as he failed to make the desired impression on the Elland Road support. Moments of weakness punctuated his first few appearances and as Luke Ayling approached full fitness in the background, it seemed his spot in the side could be at risk.
Kristensen, though, has rewarded Marsch’s faith over the last two Premier League games and the head coach is delighted to see him standing tall once more.
“Yeah, I think so,” the American said in his pre-match press conference when asked whether Kristensen was growing in confidence. “Rasmus when he's been on the pitch, we've defended really well.
“I'm continuing to push him to adapt and grow and be confident to be aggressive and do the things that I know he can do well, and I've had different discussions with him about this. He came here to be challenged and that's exactly what this league does to you, especially if you're a full-back, you play against the best players of the opponent almost every week.
“So, yeah, I'm really happy with him. He fits in the group perfectly, he's likeable, he's a hard worker, so he's going to get better and better I'm sure.”
Kristensen has been on a steep learning curve since arriving in West Yorkshire, and while Marsch is keen to stress he has room to grow, it seems he has finally started to find his feet with Leeds.
READ NEXT:
Leeds United player ratings as Harrison and Bamford fail to make openings pay in Crystal Palace loss
Jesse Marsch makes Joe Gelhardt admission and discusses Leeds United competition
Leeds United winners and losers as Kristensen shines but Harrison struggles in defeat at Palace
Every word Jesse Marsch said on Crystal Palace, Zaha, Gelhardt, injuries, Koch and strikeforce
Crysencio Summerville 'in best form' as Leeds United youngsters come into Jesse Marsch reckoning
