Leeds United hit the magic 40-point mark with a last-gasp equaliser against Bournemouth at the Vitality in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The 40-point mark has historically been used as the benchmark for safety in the Premier League for teams battling the drop, and it means that the Whites are nine points clear of the bottom three.
Sean Longstaff scored in the 97th minute to secure a draw for the away side, as he came off the bench to score his first goal in the league since he scored against Bournemouth at Elland Road in September.
The equalising goal came just five minutes after Evanilson had a goal ruled out for a tight offside, which would have put the home team 3-1 up heading into the final minutes of the clash.
It was a battling display by the West Yorkshire outfit, who have only lost four of their last 25 matches, and they deserve credit for the way they kept going.
How Daniel Farke earned Leeds United a point against Bournemouth
With an FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea at Wembley to come this weekend, Daniel Farke and the players could have been excused for taking their foot off the gas to save their legs for their big day out in London.
That is not what happened, though, as the German head coach made several attack-minded substitutions to go and chase the game to avoid losing to the Cherries.
Farke switched from a 3-4-2-1 to a 4-2-3-1 in the second half by bringing on Lukas Nmecha, Joel Piroe, and Wilfried Gnonto to play as the three attacking midfielders behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and another substitute, Longstaff, scored the equaliser.
Whilst Noah Okafor did come close to scoring, hitting the post, in his time on the pitch, Leeds lacked a cutting edge in the final third until Nmecha and Gnonto, in particular, were introduced.
The second half showing and the impact that those substitutes had could see one of the Leeds players dropped at Wembley, as they are in danger of becoming the next Georginio Rutter.
Leeds star could be another Rutter at Wembley if he’s not dropped
The French star was a brilliant player for Leeds in the 2023/24 campaign, racking up 16 assists, but he did not turn up at Wembley in the play-off final, registering 0.04 xA in 90 minutes.
Now, Brenden Aaronson could be in danger of repeating what Rutter went through at Wembley after he put in a busy, yet underwhelming, performance against Bournemouth.
|
Vs Bournemouth |
Brenden Aaronson |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
84 |
|
Touches |
39 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
xA |
0.09 |
|
xG |
0.03 |
|
Crosses attempted |
0 |
|
Duels won |
4/8 |
It was a 5/10 display by the USA international, as he racked up 0.12 xG and xA combined, and it could cost him his place in the starting line-up at Wembley.
He had even fewer touches than his goalkeeper Karl Darlow (53) and did not have any moments of note with the ball at his feet at the top end of the pitch, as he failed to make a meaningful impact on the game offensively.
Lukas Nmecha came on in the second half and offered more to the side from an offensive perspective for the Whites, as he took four shots and created 0.08 xA, almost triple Aaronson’s creative output.
The Germany international played a crucial role in the team’s first goal as he held the ball under pressure and teed up Gnonto to create the own goal off James Hill, firing a cross in off the defender.
With Okafor in such a hot streak of form, with five goals and three assists in his last eight games, it could be Aaronson who makes way for Nmecha to go into the starting XI against Chelsea.
In the 2-2 draw with the Blues in February, Nmecha also scored a goal, from the penalty spot, and assisted Okafor to claim a point, which shows that he can be effective against their defence.
The German attacker should, therefore, start as one of the two attacking midfielders behind Calvert-Lewin and alongside Okafor, because he seems less likely to drop an anonymous attacking display at Wembley than Aaronson.
After his disappointing 5/10 performance against the Cherries, the USA international may have to settle for a place on the substitute’s bench against the Blues at Wembley this weekend.
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