Leeds United bounced back from their disappointing defeat to Barnsley by beating Forest at Elland Road.
After playing in the middle during Leeds’ defeat to Barnsley, Luke Ayling confirmed against Nottingham Forest how much the Whites have missed having him at right-back as he put in a superb performance.
Although the back four were brilliant in the recent win against Derby – especially as it included three players whose best position is arguably right-back – their frailties were highlighted in the loss at Oakwell where Ayling once again joined Kyle Bartley at centre-back.
Leeds’ Luke Ayling
But Ayling’s return to the right against Forest arguably confirmed that he is the best in that position within the squad, as he put in a very assured display in the 2-0 win at Elland Road, as the statistics prove.
| Accurate crosses | Total tackles | Tackles won | Total clearances | Duels lost | Duels won | Total passes | Accurate passes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Ayling | 1 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 48 | 42 |
No player on either side won more tackles than the five the former Bristol City man won while he impressed in several other areas, including when it comes to passing as he found a teammate with 42 of his 48 passes, which is arguably especially impressive given that Ayling is often trying to get forward and is thus, sometimes looking to play a much riskier ball.
Derby’s Ikechi Anya in action with Leeds’ Luke Ayling
He also won 13 of the 17 duels he contested throughout the game. Only Leeds skipper Liam Bridcutt won as many, but the midfielder also lost 10 duels, so his performance in that area is not quite as impressive.
While the lack of depth at centre-back may mean that Ayling could return to the middle before the end of the season, Monk will be hoping that he is able to keep the 25-year-old at full-back as he arguably proving against Forest that he is one of the division’s best in that role.
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