'Defend for their lives' - Oxford United manager singles out Leeds United player after defeat
Oxford United boss Gary Rowett believes his team made life difficult for Leeds United and Daniel Farke on Friday night.
Leeds left Oxfordshire with three points under their belt and a realistic chance of automatic promotion being secured on Easter Monday after their 26th win of the campaign.
Rowett's men put up a fight but were undone by an impressive team goal which featured the involvement of Joe Rodon, Jayden Bogle and eventual goalscorer Manor Solomon.
Speaking after the match, Rowett said he felt Oxford made it uncomfortable for Leeds, particularly late on as the Whites defended a slender one-goal lead despite having the majority of the ball throughout the game.
"First half they made it difficult for us," the U's boss said. "I thought second half we were excellent, we responded well and were more aggressive. We didn't create too many clear-cut chances but I thought we put them under an awful lot of pressure."
Rowett singled out one Leeds player in particular, praising the performance of Rodon who was named Sky Sports' Man of the Match for his assertive defensive display.
"They defended the box really well, I think [Joe] Rodon got his head on virtually everything when we loaded the box up late on chasing the game.
"It felt as though every time the ball went into the box he [Rodon] was leaping and heading it out."
Joe Rodon vs Oxford United: Match Stats
Rodon made 11 clearances during Leeds' 1-0 win at the Kassam Stadium, seven of which were with his head. He made 11 passes into the final third, including the threaded through-ball which began the move for Leeds' goal, and won seven of his nine aerial duels.
"I thought we stuck at the game, you can't chase the game too early against Leeds because then you run the risk of opening it up and them taking the game away from you. Super proud of the players' reaction second half, we're disappointed we've lost the game but we've run a very, very good Leeds team that will probably finish in the top two very, very close. I'm sure Daniel [Farke] would've said there were some uncomfortable moments late on and they had to defend for their lives," Rowett added.