Leeds United got back to winning ways with a narrow victory over relegation strugglers Queen’s Park Rangers on Wednesday evening, with the Whites bouncing back following their limp display away to Southampton at the weekend.
The Yorkshire giants had been ripped apart during a dismal opening half an hour or so at St Mary’s just a few days earlier, yet it was Daniel Farke’s men who delivered the early blow this time around, with fleet-footed Dutchman, Crysencio Summerville lashing home inside nine minutes.
Despite dominating proceedings from then on – after enjoying 65% possession in total – that early effort from Summerville ultimately proved to be the game’s deciding goal, with any hope of a late comeback from the visitors having been quashed by Asmir Begovic’s dismissal at the death.
How did Crysencio Summerville perform against QPR?
The Rotterdam native took his goal superbly after impressive work from Georginio Rutter down the left flank, with the club’s record signing picking out the 21-year-old with a clever threaded pass, as Summerville duly converted past a helpless Begovic.
That composed finish – which took the youngster’s tally to two goals for the season so far in all competitions – came amid what was a “terrific” first-half performance from the winger, as per journalist Graham Smyth, as he proved a real livewire on the flanks.
That all-round performance was evidenced by the fact that the Netherlands U21 international registered three key passes in total in his 80-minute outing, with that only bettered by the aforementioned Rutter (four) among players for both sides.
While that did see Summerville lose possession on 14 occasions, his desire to impact proceedings in the final third was evident as he completed four of his seven attempted crosses as well as two of his four attempted dribbles, having also won four fouls for his side.
The only possible concern was that the 5 foot 6 speedster wasn’t able to maintain his level of performance as he ‘went off the boil‘ just before the interval – as per Leeds Live’s Beren Cross – with Farke having been reliant on other key figures to step up instead, such as summer signing, Ethan Ampadu.
How did Ampadu perform against QPR?
The former Chelsea man – who arrived on a £7m deal from the Stamford Bridge outfit – was at his composed and brilliant best against Gareth Ainsworth’s side last night, having been ‘so calm on the ball‘ in the centre of the park, in the words of Cross.
Also dubbed “excellent” by The Athletic’s Phil Hay for the manner in which he is able to bail his side out of trouble, the Wales international was a typically dogged and determined performer at the base of the midfield after winning eight of his 13 total duels.
While, like Summerville, Ampadu did have a few lapses of concentration after losing possession 17 times throughout the contest, the 23-year-old did also created one big chance from his deep-lying berth, as well as outlining his ability to spray the ball about with ease as he completed six of his nine long balls.
The 92-touch maestro simply brought so much ‘control with and without the ball‘ – according to Cross – with Farke having been in need of that stable presence to help keep the away side at bay, with things not totally clicking in the attacking ranks.
Ampadu’s importance to that much-needed win was also laid bare by his match rating of 7.7, as per Sofascore, with that having been the highest of any player for either side – even ahead of goalscorer, Summerville (7.4).
That only serves to rubberstamp what was another classy showing from the emerging hero at Elland Road, proving just why he could be crucial in Leeds’ promotion push this season.
