Leeds United came within minutes of a precious away win before settling for a decent point and a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday. Anton Stach’s brilliant free-kick was cancelled out late on by Tammy Abraham as Daniel Farke’s side made it two defeats in 14 Premier League games.
The Whites produced a near-perfect opening 45 minutes at Villa Park, defending brilliantly and frustrating their hosts. Stach grabbed the headlines on the half-hour mark, catching Emi Martinez out with a magnificent curling free-kick from at least 30 yards.
Leeds spent almost the entirety of the second-half defending their lead but eventually buckled to the pressure, with substitute Tammy Abraham forcing an effort in off his thigh following a corner. Villa pushed to grab a winner but Daniel Farke’s side eventually held on for another decent point.
YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth was at Villa Park to watch the action. Here are his Leeds United player ratings...
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1. GK: Karl Darlow
8 - Nothing he could do with the goal and was unlucky not to get the clean sheet given the way he played. Protected well but came up really big at the end of the first half. | Getty Images
2. RWB: Jayden Bogle
7 - A couple of poor decisions in the second half as Leeds came under pressure but prior to that he had been very solid. | Getty Images
3. CB: James Justin
8 - An excellent performance at centre-back where he read the game beautifully. Had a harder time of it with Sancho at left wing-back. | Getty Images
4. CB: Joe Rodon
8 - Was having a really solid game defensively when he just about lost that one aerial battle in the box for the Villa goal. Threw himself into his defensive work. | Getty Images
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5. CB: Pascal Struijk
8 - Some really good play on the ball, first half especially. A couple of wobbles. Defended well in the main. | Getty Images
6. LWB: Gabriel Gudmundsson
6 - Got into space to help Leeds attack and looked dangerous up to the final ball. Not as sharp as he can be, misplaced pass conceded a corner. | Getty Images