Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips thrived in a slightly new role as they ripped apart Preston North End.
If Leeds United are a Premier League team by May, we could look back on Saturday’s 3-0 thrashing of Preston North End as a turning point in their season.
The Whites had lost two in a row without scoring a single goal against Reading and Brentford before former boss Simon Grayson brought his discretely dangerous side to Elland Road on Saturday. Yet, there was no hint of nerves as Leeds roared back to form with a 3-0 win.
And one player perhaps epitomised the club’s performance more than any other – Kalvin Phillips. The 21-year-old may not have got his name on the scoresheet like Pablo Hernandez, Souleymane Doukara or the influential Kemar Roofe, but his performance at the base of the midfield was of equal importance.
In fact, this was arguably the 21-year-old’s most impressive performance of the season. And it is no stroke of fortune that this coincided with manager Garry Monk trusting him in a more advanced midfield role with Ronaldo Vieira sitting deeper and going toe-to-toe with Preston talisman Aiden McGeady.
Bombing on from midfield while breaking up the play and working hard defensively, Phillips was allowed to showcase his surprisingly extensive skill-set against Grayson’s in-form visitors. He made a typically tenacious three tackles but his performance was best summed up by his cutting through ball to set up Doukara’s strike in stoppage time.
Furthermore, only three of Leeds’ starters managed more touches while only Pontus Jansson and Gaetano Berardi could boast a superior pass completion rate.
Phillips may be a jack of all trades rather than a master of anything in particular but, as his influential outing against Preston proved, perhaps this should be embraced.
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