Final Score: Leeds United 1-0 Norwich City
A goal from Pontus Jansson was just what Leeds United needed to see themselves on the right side of the result. They beat Norwich City 1-0, with the winner coming just before the half-time whistle, in the 41st minute. Jansson absolutely buried the header home to give Leeds the lead, which eventually turned out to be the decisive point of the match.
Pawel Cibicki took charge of the corner which he delivered to the far post, the area which was occupied by the Swede. He out-jumped the opponents and sent the ball home. Sometimes, not everything flows smoothly and fluently, as one has to dig wins out in order to compete, especially when the main men are not firing. This brings Thomas Christiansen’s team to 36 points, just one behind sixth-placed Sheffield United and fifth-placed Aston Villa.
Leeds Player Ratings
Felix Wiedwald: 8.5/10
His double save off Pritchard early on in the second-half was match-winning. He held the ball well during corners and distributed accurately.
Luke Ayling: 5/10
He played very high up the pitch, not in sync with his back line. This left a lot of space in behind and Norwich were able to exploit this area. Ayling’s tackling too wasn’t up to the mark.
Liam Cooper: 8/10
He made sure Oliveira was in check throughout the game. He held his lines and didn’t commit too often. A rock-solid performance.
Pontus Jansson: 9.5/10
A smartly finished header and a clean sheet. What more would a defender need? He was sharp to move around n the box and aerially, he made it all count.
Gaetano Berardi: 6.5/10
Very good with his presence on the field but made a handful of needless challenges.
Ezgjan Alioski: 5/10
He didn’t quite receive the return pass and his average touch on the pitch wasn’t too attractive either. Not very involved in the game. As the game went on, his level of performance deteriorated.
Samuel Saiz: 6/10
Tried extremely hard to spend some time on the ball and make things happen. He should have scored and sent Norwich packing but ended up hitting the post.
Pawel Cibicki: 8.5/10
He was in and around all that was happening. Good feet, quick with the ball and effective while passing. He provided the all-important assist.
Kalvin Phillips: 7/10
Phillips was well collected and composed on the ball. He was unfortunate to have not scored but he could have tried to take the ball forward a little more to exploit some voids.
Ronaldo Vieira: 6/10
He lost possession too many times despite trying to dribble through or run around to win the ball back. A good defensive contribution though.
Kemar Roofe: 6.5/10
His movement was vibrant but unfruitful. He held the ball well and brought others into play. Despite all the hard work, Roofe never got into a position to score. Barely received any service from wider areas.
Substitutes
Pablo Hernandez: 7/10
Very composed with and without the ball. Almost scored late on.
Jay-Roy Grot: 4/10
He made technical errors as soon as he came off the bench. Lacked professionalism.
Matthew Pennington: N/A
Came too late to be rated or judged.