8/10 Leeds hero showed why he makes the ‘game look easy’

After the disappointment away at Ewood Park a week ago, home comforts provided welcome solace for Leeds United this time around, with the automatic promotion hopefuls running out deserved 2-0 winners against Derby County on Saturday afternoon.

It had been an initially muted start to proceedings at Elland Road, with the home side’s dominance amounting to little in the opening half an hour so, amid a case of all bark and no bite from Daniel Farke’s men.

That all changed in the space of just five minutes prior to the break, however, with Joe Rodon – who had earlier skewed a header wide – grabbing what was remarkably only the second goal of his senior career thus far, after outmuscling Kane Wilson and glancing his effort home from Joe Rothwell’s corner.

As the old adage goes, one follows two, with another defender getting in on the act after substitute Max Wober tapped home on the stroke of half-time, the Austrian pouncing on Brenden Aaronson’s diverted pull-back to put the hosts firmly in the driving seat.

That lead, in truth, rarely looked troubled after the interval with Illan Meslier something of a bystander to proceedings, with Farke left to reflect on a job well done for his dominant side.

Leeds’ best performers vs Derby

Where to begin? Well, a good place to start would be that man who Rodon, with the towering Welshman swooping Sky Sports’ Player of the Match award for his all-round efforts, having provided a physical presence in both boxes for the Yorkshire side.

Indeed, not only could the former Tottenham Hotspur man have walked away with a brace, but he also enjoyed a 93% pass accuracy from his defensive berth and won 100% of his aerial duels, as per Sofascore, showcasing that there is silk to go with his usual steel.

Elsewhere, it proved another fine outing for Leeds’ loan star, Rothwell, with the stylish midfielder registering the assist for the opener, while also winning all of his own aerial battles in the centre of the park.

Ahead of the 29-year-old, there were also positives to take from the attacking display, with Dan James having again been a real outlet down the right flank, notably providing a driving run in the build-up to Wober’s clincher.

Yes, the former Manchester United man still has the penchant to frustrate due to his at times wayward decision-making – as shown by the fact that he lost the ball on 20 occasions – yet boy he is effective in this division. It’s no wonder that BBC pundit Jon Newsome recently claimed he was “too good for the Championship”.

That praise could also be attributed to one of James’ instrumental teammates, with Ao Tanaka also a joy to watch alongside Rothwell at the base of the midfield.

Leeds’ star performer vs Derby

Losing Ethan Ampadu to a significant knee injury back in September looked at the time to be a potentially season-defining moment for the Whites, with the absence of the Leeds skipper described as a “devastating blow” by pundit Frank McAvennie.

Ahead of schedule, the ex-Chelsea star is now thankfully back among the matchday squad, although securing a starting role for himself once again won’t be as easy as first thought, such has been the brilliance of the Rothwell-Tanaka axis.

The latter man, in particular, has proven a real find following his £2.95m switch from Fortuna Dusseldorf, with Sky Sports’ Andy Hinchcliffe notably stating on commentary – around the 55th-minute mark – that he makes the “game look ridiculously easy” in his midfield berth.

That was particularly evident when the Japanese sensation picked out the aforementioned Aaronson with a delightful sliding pass in the first half, with that passage ultimately leading to Rodon’s opener, following the American’s spin and shot.

Tanaka almost got on the scoresheet himself too after testing Jacob Zetterstrom from range after the break, with that driven effort forcing the Derby stopper into a diving save to his right.

With 84 touches and a 91% pass accuracy to boot, Leeds’ summer signing was involved across the park throughout the 90 minutes, popping up all over the place to help dictate proceedings for Farke’s men.

As such, while Rodon may get most of the plaudits for his undoubtedly fine work, it was Tanaka – to whom Leeds Live’s Beren Cross awarded an 8/10 match rating – that proved the real shining light on the day.