Leeds moved up to fourth in the Championship with a 2-0 win over the Villans at Elland Road.
Leeds United’s play-off hopes were handed a major boost at the weekend as they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Elland Road to move up to fourth in the Championship while also ending Steve Bruce’s unbeaten start to life with the Midlands club.
Much like during Leeds’ defeat to Liverpool in the EFL Cup in midweek, a fairly even contest was settled by the home side scoring two second-half goals after a first-half that had lacked any real quality in front of goal.
While Pontus Jansson had the best chance of the first-half – as his header from a corner went over the bar – it was perhaps the away side that created many of the openings during the first period, though those openings often came to nothing.
Robert Green (L) and Pontus Jansson of Leeds United celebrate after win over Villa
One of the reasons that Rob Green enjoyed a fairly quiet evening was the performance of the back four, who, once again, shone in the victory.
Although Jansson and Charlie Taylor were also impressive, it was perhaps the display from Luke Ayling that was particularly encouraging as he again showed why the Whites decided to sign him in the summer.
| Total tackles | Tackles won | Total clearances | Duels won | Interceptions won | Total passes | Accurate passes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Ayling | 5 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 41 | 28 |
The 25-year-old had to deal with some of the Championship’s best players going forward, but he rose to the challenge remarkably well to prevent the likes of Albert Adomah, Jonathan Kodjia and Jordan Ayew making a big impact on the game.
As well as making a solid contribution when it comes to clearances and passes – he ranked towards the middle of the Leeds side in those areas – he was situated near the top in several other areas.
Leeds’ Luke Ayling, during the game against Derby
Only Hadi Sacko won more duels than the former Bristol City man, which arguably highlights how the Whites’ strength down the right flank was crucial to their victory.
Meanwhile, no player attempted and won more tackles or made more interceptions than Ayling.
And with the two teams directly above Leeds in the table now ahead in their next two games, Garry Monk will be hoping that the right-back can replicate his performance against Villa in the coming weeks as it could be vital to their chances of keeping themselves in the play-off hunt after Christmas.
Leeds United manager Garry Monk
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