After an exciting Championship match at Elland Road between Leeds United and Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon, Sky Sports pundit Michael Dawson lauded the attacking prowess of the Whites. Leeds United won 3-2.
Joel Piroe, Georginio Rutter, Dan James, and Crysencio Summerville are among the players in question; Dawson claims that they are “unplayable” in their current English second-tier status.
In a thrilling first half that saw five goals scored between the two teams in West Yorkshire on Saturday, three of the quartet—Piroe, James, and Summerville—found themselves on the score sheet.
And while though Rutter—who was acquired from Hoffenheim in January for a club record—did not score in the match on Saturday, it was the Frenchman who forced a foul on Boro defender Matt Clarke to give Leeds a penalty kick, which Piroe duly scored.
LEEDS, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 02: Joel Piroe of Leeds United (L) celebrates with teammates Dan James (2L), Georginio Rutter (C) and Crysencio Summerville after scoring the team’s third goal from the penalty spot during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leeds United and Middlesbrough at Elland Road on December 02, 2023 in Leeds, England.
With eight goals apiece, Piroe and Summerville are now tied for the club’s top scorers, followed by James with six and Rutter with four. The Whites’ forward line is obviously capable of scoring goals from wherever, which is why Dawson described their attacking style as “electric.”
“The first half was one of the best first halves I have seen all season,” Dawson stated while speaking from the studio on Gillette Soccer Saturday. It was comprehensive. It resembled a game of hoops.
They flow naturally. You examine Summerville, Dan James, Rutter, and Piroe. They have electricity. Sometimes they’re impossible to play. They make opportunities that you won’t believe.
The fact that teenage Italian sensation Wilfried Gnonto, whose talent drew attention during the Whites’ Premier League campaign last year, had to settle for a position on the bench when Daniel Farke selected his matchday squad is perhaps the most telling indication of Leeds’ glut of attacking talent.
With Saturday’s victory, Leeds has now won seven in a row at home and has not lost at Elland Road this season.
Even though other results meant that the Whites lost ground in the fight for automatic promotion, it guarantees that Daniel Farke’s team will keep up their winning momentum as they continue to push for a spot in the top two of the table.