The 18-year-old Leeds midfielder looked like the real Lewis Cook again.
If you want to see evidence of a Steve Evans impact after one game at Leeds United, look no further than Lewis Cook.
The Whites playmaker was pulling the strings from central midfield once again and looked to have been given a new lease of life by his controversial but passionate new coach.
And few of his team-mates could even keep pace with the kind of numbers Cook was posting against Fulham on Wednesday night…
| V Fulham | Chances Created | Dribbles | Final-Third Passes | Accurate Passes | Minutes Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Cook | 4 | 5 | 18 | 34 | 90 |
| Luke Murphy | 2 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 58 |
| Tom Adeyemi | 1 | 0 | 9 | 29 | 90 |
| Gaetano Berardi | 1 | 1 | 11 | 39 | 90 |
| Mirco Antenucci | 0 | 0 | 16 | 24 | 90 |
| Sam Byram | 0 | 2 | 18 | 30 | 90 |
As Opta stats show, the 18-year-old was terrific v Fulham. His numbers are actually of a different class to any other Leeds player. As the driving force in United’s midfield, Cook responded to new boss Evans like he never could under Uwe Rosler.
The teenager’s four chances created were at least double that of anyone else in a Leeds shirt. Cook also took his man on and beat him no less than five times.
In the final third, the playmaker completed 18 passes (credit to Sam Byram for posting the same tally) and no one completed more overall passes than Cook except the excellent Gaetano Berardi.
Whatever he’s done, then, and however he’s done it, Evans has clearly made an impact on Cook. Those statistics are sensational. Under Rosler, Cook was a shadow of the player he was at Craven Cottage on Wednesday.
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