Ian Wright has said on Match of the Day 2 on BBC One (10:46pm, January 16, 2022) that Lewis Bate was “fantastic” for Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United against West Ham United at the weekend.
Leeds got the better of West Ham 3-2 away from home at London Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
Bate, 19, came on as a substitute for Adam Forshaw midway through the first half.
The English teenager was taken off in the 65th minute for Rodrigo.
Leeds won the game 3-2.
Arsenal legend Wright was impressed by Bate, and has praised the England Under-20 international on MOTD 2.
Wright said about Bate: “He got brought on, then he got taken off.
“I saw how disappointed he was on the bench, but he had done brilliantly in the time he was on the pitch.
“You can understand he was disappointed with that. He was fantastic, Lewis Bate, today.”
Meanwhile, Robbie Keane said on Sky Sports Premier League (broadcast on 16/1; 16:13) that Bate has a bright future.
The former Leeds striker said: “Just a little mention, the young lad Bate who got taken off, before that, he was actually playing very, very well.
“Nothing to be ashamed of there, absolutely not. That was more of a tactical situation, bring a bit more experience on. He’s got a very, very bright future, nothing to be ashamed of there.”
Lewis Bate played well for Leeds v West Ham
In our view, Bate did well for Leeds in their win against West Ham in London on Sunday.
It was the teenager’s first game in the Premier League.
Bate looked disappointed after coming off, but he should be proud of himself.
The youngster held his own in the middle of the park and showed that he belongs at this level.
Bate had a pass accuracy of 79%, took 32 touches, attempted one dribble, and made one tackle, one interception and one clearance.
In our opinion, Bate is a gem and could play a lot more games for Leeds in the Premier League this season.
Meanwhile, Ian Wright said on Match of the Day 2 on BBC One (10:45pm, January 16, 2022) that West Ham defender Issa Diop had a bad game against Leeds.
Wright said: “Diop had a poor game today, he had a poor game today.”
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