Leeds United players Illan Meslier, Georginio Rutter and Joel Piroe have all been named as part of the EFL’s Championship Team of the Week after their performances in the Whites’ 3-0 thrashing of rivals Millwall yesterday afternoon.
Whilst it was the home team which came racing out of the blocks in Sunday’s clash, Leeds quickly adjusted and took control, with the gulf in quality between the two sides on the pitch eventually telling.
This was nowhere better evidenced than in the Whites’ first goal which saw Piroe – who joined Leeds from Swansea during the transfer window in what many regard as one of the best signings of the summer – finish off a slick team move on the counterattack in the game’s 15th minute.
Millwall struggled for attacking impetus once Leeds opened the scoring, failing to generate any clear-cut goalscoring chances for the remainder of the match.
Whilst 1-0 is always a dangerous scoreline, the addition of substitute Dan James to the mix allowed Leeds to tighten their grip on the contest, with the Welsh international notching quickly notching two assists: the first for Piroe on 77 minutes – handing the Dutchman a brace – and the second for Rutter who latched onto a deflected cross to fire home in the 81st minute.
Leeds have often been criticised for not being clinical enough in front of goal but this certainly wasn’t the case here, with 3 shots on target producing 3 goals.
Sunday’s result also reflected defensive improvement for the Whites, with the 3-0 scoreline representing a second consecutive clean sheet for Daniel Farke’s side, something which Leeds found extremely hard to come by during their last two seasons in the Premier League.
Leeds will be hoping to continue the positive momentum produced by the victory against Millwall when they travel to face Yorkshire rivals Hull City on Wednesday night, with another win further propelling the Whites up the Championship table.
