Alfonso Pedraza excelled defensively in Leeds’ draw with Fulham

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Alfonso Pedraza’s performance in Leeds United’s draw with Fulham arguably demonstrated a side of his game that Whites fans have not properly seen.

Fulham’s Tim Ream in action with Leeds’ Alfonso Pedraza

When Alfonso Pedraza came on in Leeds’ win over Birmingham last week, he showed signs of being a player that Garry Monk can rely upon to offer the defence some support at times when they are under great pressure.

The young winger showed a real willingness to chase the ball down and get stuck in, and was rewarded with his first goal since arriving at Elland Road on loan.

And while he did not get on the scoresheet in Tuesday’s game against Fulham, and his most notable contribution was the chances that he missed, his statistics show, once again, that he is more than willing to do the hard yards to help the players behind him.

In a game where Leeds enjoyed few chances, of course Monk would have preferred to have seen Pedraza bury one of the two opportunities that came his way, but his performance in other areas suggest that he made up for missing the chances.

No player had more attempts than the 20-year-old, which, if there is a positive to be taken, highlights that he is getting into dangerous positions, which is especially comforting given that he proved against the Blues that he can finish.

Meanwhile, he is also the surprise name at the top of the Leeds list when it comes to tackles and duels won. He won three challenges during the contest at Craven Cottage, while the other members of Monk’s squad won nine between them, with only Kalvin Phillips also coming out on top on three occasions.

And he ended up winning seven duels throughout the game. Three of his teammates managed to win five, but, once again, Pedraza was out in front, this time on his own.

Leeds United manager Garry Monk

Pedraza was always going to be a potentially exciting signing when he arrived in January, but some may have been forgiven for questioning whether his inexperience – in England especially – would see him look out of his depth at times.

But based on how he has started since arriving at Leeds, it appears that the youngster could be a player that Monk can grow to rely upon as the Championship play-off race kicks into top gear, even if he did not enjoy the best night in front of goal.