Give him his flowers Everton manager David Moyes praises underrated Leeds united ace who was outstanding despite 1-1 draw

Leeds United player ratings take hit as Whites unable to maintain brilliant first half

Leeds United claimed a 1-1 draw from their first trip to Everton’s impressive new home.

And whilst that represented an excellent result for a side new to the Premier League, the way they played in the first half would have had them hoping for better.

But Everton up their game after the break and pinned Leeds back, causing the visiting players’ marks to take a dip.

Karl Darlow – made an excellent and important stretching save in the second half 7

Joe Rodon – defended well back on the right of a back three 6

Sebastiaan Bornauw – let Thierno Barry get the run on him for Everton’s equaliser 6

Pascal Struijk – once again the one asked to step out of defence and had mixed results 6

Jaden Bogle – outstanding in the first half as Leeds’ main attacking outlet, the Toffees denied him the spaces to run into after the break 8

Ethan Ampadu – along with Ilia Gruev, gave Anton Stach and Brenden Aaronson the platform to attack in the first half 6

Ilia Gruev – did a good job in the first half but Leeds needed something more expansive as they got pinned back in the second 6

James Justin – has made a big impact since he broke into the side, and deserved his goal 7

Brenden Aaronson – all energy in the first half, his tank emptied too long before he came off 7

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – very good in the first half and made an intelligent run for Justin’s goal but too isolated in the second, when nothing stuck for Leeds 7

Substitutes:

Ao Tanaka (for Gruev, 66) – his skillset was just what was needed to break the Everton shackles but he neither passed nor defended as he can 4

Facundo Buonanotte (for Bornau, 85) – booked within five minutes of making his debut, then had a shot after leaping up from an unjury and robbing team-mate Noah Okafor 6

Noah Okafor (for Aaronson, 85) – brought some energy on the left flank 5

Sean Longstaff (for Stach, 85) – blazed a good chance over shortly after coming on in the hole 5

Not used: Perri, Piroe, Nmecha, Byram, Gnonto.

Leeds United’s player ratings took a hit after their recent match against Everton, where they failed to maintain their brilliant first-half performance. The Whites dominated the first half, scoring the opening goal in the 28th minute through James Justin, but struggled to keep up the momentum in the second half.

Here are some of the player ratings ¹:
– *Ethan Ampadu* – 7/10: He anchored the midfield with conviction.
– *Ilia Gruev* – 6/10: Gruev struggled to get a foothold in the game.
– *James Justin* – 7.5/10: He caught the eye at times on both halves and scored the opener.
– *Anton Stach* – 8/10: Stach was a positive influence at both ends of the field.
– *Karl Darlow* – 6/10: He made one solid save but failed to keep a clean sheet.