da cassino： Leeds United march on. The Whites continue their excellent form after beating Fulham 1-0 at Elland Road, thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Lukas Nmecha.

da betsul： They are now eight points clear of the relegation zone and have extended their run of form to just one defeat in their last nine games.

Indeed, they were the better side against the Cottagers, despite it taking until the 91st minute for the deadlock to be broken. They had less possession, with 47% to their name, but created five big chances and an expected goals tally of 1.49xG. Perhaps a 1-0 scoreline does not reflect how the game went.

The goal itself was impressive. Daniel Farke’s side utilised their new direct nature and high wing-backs well, using their two centre-forwards to hold the ball up and get it out wide to the right-hand side.

From there, it simply took a cross into the box, which Nmecha fired home from inside the penalty area. It secured a huge three points for the West Yorkshire outfit to further increase the distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

There were certainly some standout performers in that famous White shirt, particularly in midfield.

Leeds’ best players vs. Fulham

What a performance it was from a couple of key Leeds players, midfield pair Ethan Ampadu and Brenden Aaronson.

Captain Ampadu was yet again exceptional, setting up the goal which sealed the three points with a searching cross towards matchwinner Nmecha.

However, he made a huge contribution outside of that. He was excellent off the ball, tasked with lots of defensive responsibility, which saw him win four out of five ground duels and 100% of his tackles.

He also created four chances, including the goal.

Next to him, Aaronson put in a standout performance. The American’s work rate in that deeper midfield role is important to Farke’s side.

He did miss a chance he should have perhaps taken, but created two chances and made five recoveries.

The pair both earned 8/10 ratings at the end of the game from Leeds Live journalist Isaac Johnson. He praised the skipper for how he ‘played the anchor role’ and said Aaronson was ‘really positive and productive’ at Elland Road.

It is fair to say they outshone one of their teammates.

The Leeds star who struggled vs. Fulham

It was an afternoon to forget for midfielder Ilia Gruev. Lining up in the middle of the park alongside Ampadu and Aaronson, the Bulgarian struggled to get a hold of the game against the London side.

Johnson gave the 25-year-old a harsher rating than his teammates at the end of the game. He explained that Gruev both led the press and dropped deeper into defence, and also said that his set-piece delivery was not ‘brilliant’

Indeed, his stats from the game reflect how poor of an afternoon it was for the midfielder. Gruev, who played 81 minutes, had just 37 touches of the ball and lost possession nine times. He also failed to make a tackle and won just three out of seven duels.

Gruev vs Fulham

Stat

Record

Touches

37

Opposition half passes completed

8/11

Number of times ball lost

9

Duels won

3/7

Chances created

1

Tackles

0

Stats from Sofascore

It was certainly not an eye-catching performance from the Whites’ number 44. Replaced by Ao Tanaka with a little less than ten minutes to go, it will be interesting to see if he keeps his place in the side.

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Anton Stach also missed out on selection against the Cottagers, so he could come back into the team.

In fact, perhaps his future at Elland Road is up in the air. Gruev has struggled to lock down a consistent place this term under Farke, playing 13 times and notching up just 652 minutes. It certainly seems hard to break into that midfield.

With that in mind, it would not be a surprise to see Farke decide to cash in on Gruev this January. His performances, as he showed against Fulham, have not been at the level he might need to break into the team.

Selling Gruev could help raise funds, so Leeds can upgrade in other positions. It would be a bold call, but one that might benefit the Whites in the long run.

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