Full Time: Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 Leeds United
Leeds United succumbed to their second defeat of the week when they were beaten 3-0 by Sheffield Wednesday, away at the Hillsborough, earlier in the day.
Gary Hooper opened the scoring for the Owls with the simplest of tap-ins in the 25th minute, before going on to double his tally on the day, heading home from a Steven Fletcher knock-down, four minutes from half-time. Kieran Lee then made it three with a stunning effort from long range in the 82nd minute to heap further misery on the Whites.
It was a third consecutive away loss for Thomas Christiansen’s side, after their defeats to Millwall and Cardiff City, and the run is exposing their struggles away from home, very much like last season. They are now fifth in the EFL Championship table, 4 points below leaders Cardiff City.
Here’s how the Leeds players fared on the day:
Leeds United Player Ratings
Felix Wiedwald – 4/10
Should have dealt with a loose ball better, leading to the opener. Did deny Hooper’s hat-trick in the second-half, but was unconvincing.
Luke Ayling – 4/10
Struggled. Was beaten by Fletcher in the air, leading to the second goal for the Owls. Adam Reach gave him a hard time.
Pontus Jansson – 5/10
Made a couple of important blocks and had a header cleared off the line. Was stretchered off injured in the 71st minute.
Matthew Pennington – 4/10
Lost Hooper for both of his goals. Hadn’t played a full game in a long time and it showed on the field.
Gaetano Berardi – 4/10
Another disappointing outing for the Swiss defender at left-back. Was targeted by the Owls and was pressurised to a great extent.
Eunan O’Kane – 3/10
Returned to the line-up after missing out in the midweek and put in his worst display of the season. Kept losing the ball and never really got into the game. His mistake led to the Wednesday’s third goal. Was really poor.
Kalvin Phillips – 5/10
Started off decently, but struggled to cope with Barry Bannan in the middle of the park as the game progressed.
Gianni Alioski – 4/10
His disappointing run of games continues. Should have done better with his chance early in the game. Never really looked like a threat.
Samu Saiz – 6.5/10
Without a doubt, he was the Whites’ best player on the pitch. Ran the Owls ragged in the first twenty minutes and came close to scoring a couple of times on either side of half-time. Looked like the biggest threat.
Kemar Roofe – 4/10
Another player who started off brightly, but faded into anonymity after fifteen minutes into the game. A bad outing, to say the least.
Pierre-Michel Lasogga – 4/10
Struck the post after the break. Lacked the service at the top to make anything happen.
Substitutes
Hadi Sacko – 5/10
Replaced Alioski after the hour mark. He was dealt with quite easily.
Pablo Hernandez – 5/10
On for Roofe in the 62nd minute. Couldn’t change the team’s fortunes.
Stuart Dallas – N/A
Came on for the injured Jansson and slotted in at left-back with Berardi moving central.