Garry Monk’s men lifted themselves out of the Championship relegation zone with a narrow win over Blackburn.
Leeds manager Garry Monk
Garry Monk would have been a hugely relieved man on Tuesday night after watching his Leeds United side claim their first home victory of the season as they beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1.
As well as looking to end yet another Elland Road hoodoo – Uwe Rosler and Steve Evans were plagued by the same issue during the early part of last season – Monk would have known that three points was simply a must as their opponents were bottom of the Championship table, having failed to win any of their games this term. If ever there was a league fixture that was earmarked as a home-banker, this was it.
Leeds’ Hadi Sacko and Kyle Bartley
And while they did manage it, it was much tougher than it perhaps needed to be. Luckily for the Whites, Hadi Sacko’s best performance of the season was a key reason why United have moved themselves out of the bottom three.
The 22-year-old not only set up Chris Wood’s opener, but he was constantly causing problems for the Rovers defence. All four of his crosses proved successful – one of which led to the deadlock being broken just after the hour-mark – while it appears that he was also instructed to use his pace to create opening for the side.
| Touches | Goal Assist | Total Cross | Accurate Cross | Total Contest | Won Contest | Total Pass | Accurate Pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hadi Sacko | 60 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 31 | 26 |
Sacko, in action against Huddersfield
Sacko attempted 10 dribbles during the game – five of which were successful – which was eight more than any other player attempted throughout the contest.
He also completed 26 of his 31 attempted passes, which is arguably a very impressive return given that he is looking to get into an area of the pitch where he may attempt to take more risks with his distribution.
Having shown glimpses of real quality in the weeks leading up to this game, Monk will be delighted to see Sacko make the kind of contribution he has threatened to make since his move.
And he will be even more delighted if the Frenchman can replicate this performance in the coming weeks, as they will undoubtedly help United move themselves up the table.
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