Max O’Leary – 7
Kept the Robins in it a couple of times in the first half, denying Willy Gnonto and Daniel James most notably. Most of the action in the second half was cleaning balls up, with Leeds struggling to find the target despite getting so close to the goal. Solid as per usual.
George Tanner – 6
Was a sturdy presence at the back, rarely letting Gnonto, one of the best wingers in the league, past him. Switched to right wing back when City had the ball after the second half changes and didn’t produce anything to write home about.
Zak Vyner – 7
Vyner was positionally aware the whole game. Tracked his runners well and didn’t give them enough space to really steer efforts on target. His goal line clearance alone to deny the unmarked Gnonto from close range was more than enough for him to stand out.
Luke McNally – 6
Has started life in BS3 well since his summer move to City. Didn’t do anything too drastic but then again that is probably a sign of good defending with him not needing to drag himself or anyone else out of trouble. Was a presence in the opposing box as well, evening attempting some acrobatics in the first half which didn’t quite come off.
Ross McCrorie (35′) – N/A
Restricted James well in his short stint on the pitch but had to be withdrawn after 35 minutes due to injury.
Mark Sykes (78′) – 6
Showed attacking glimpses in the first half was often up against two men on his side of the pitch, as was teammate Yu Hirakawa. Kept the width well as he always does and was solid in his work rate.
Jason Knight – 6
Knight and his midfield partner did well to really restrict the space in the midfield areas. Kept the line between midfield and defence nice and tight defensively. Did struggle to get a real hold of the game on the ball but it was always going to be a tough task against a strong side.
Marcus McGuane (59′) – 6
Definitely didn’t shy away from anything on his full debut, making a few crunching tackles and winning the ball back well in the first half. The summer signing did lose the ball a couple of times in the central areas in the first half, but for someone who hasn’t had loads of minutes he put in a solid shift.
Max Bird – 6
Pressed well from the front alongside Wells and Hirakawa. Full of energy and drove forward when he did have the ball. However, when your team does only have 32% possession in can be hard to make a real mark when on the ball.
Yu Hirakawa (78′) – 7
Was a bright spark in the first half as City began the game brightly. Put a few good deliveries in the box and got the crowd going with his fast feet on one or two occasions. The winger is always direct and looking to take on his man and, as previously mentioned, was often up against two men which made creating any space a little more tricky.
Nahki Wells (59′) – 6
Wells provided a decent focal point for the Reds and would have been full of confidence following his quick-fire brace in midweek against Stoke City. However, as with the whole squad, nothing really clear-cut really found its way to him with the ball often deflecting or falling unkindly in and around the area. Was replaced by Sinclair Armstrong just before the hour mark.
Substitutes:
Kal Naismith (35′) – 6
Came on in unfortunate circumstances after McCrorie’s injury forced him off meaning there’s yet more left back trouble for the Robins. As one of the older members of the City squad, he was never really beaten by the Leeds attackers who possessed some real pace and directness in the likes of James and Gnonto. He did well considering the context of his first half introduction.
George Earthy (59′) –
Did not quite have the same impact off the bench as he did in midweek where he provided a real spark against Stoke. The Leeds defence proved fairly impenetrable all afternoon in BS3 and with the size and physicality of Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk, Earthy had a challenge on his hands in trying to get the better of ex-Premier League names in just half an hour off the bench.
Sinclair Armstrong (59′) –
As much as he is a physical specimen, Armstrong entered play in a period where Leeds where much more on the front foot, with City unable to force their way out of their own half. There were a few points where he could’ve found himself on the offensive, but whether it was drawn back for a previous foul or the final ball was not good enough, Armstrong was not able to make himself much of a nuisance.
Elijah Morrison (78′) – N/A
A great moment for the youngster coming on against top Championship side in Leeds. He was full energy and put himself about well down the left hand side.