Kyle Newbould: I watched Leeds United's 2-0 defeat vs Bournemouth - Toothless second-half is a big worry
Key takeaways from Leeds United’s 2-0 Premier League defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday.
Leeds United were made to pay for wasteful attacking and a goalkeeper error in their 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday. Goals either side of half-time from Evanilson and Amine Adli decided the game with quality lacking.
The Whites enjoyed a decent start with Dominic Calvert-Lewin unfortunate to see his 11th-minute opener disallowed for a handball. But a James Trafford howler handed Bournemouth their opener, the goalkeeper passing straight to Justin Kluivert who set up Evanilson for a tap-in.
Despite pushing for a leveller, Leeds failed to register a single second-half shot on target before substitutes Eli Junior Kroupi and Adli combined in added-time. Below are some of the YEP’s key takeaways from the disappointing day.
Attacking balance benefits Wilson
The introduction of James into the starting line-up - a first Premier League start of the season - was a big surprise but with Noah Okafor out due to an adductor issue, his pace in behind made sense for teammate Wilson in particular. Last weekend’s pairing with Brenden Aaronson produced next-to-nothing at Sunderland but Saturday’s attacking dynamic felt a lot more balanced.
Leeds started well at the Vitality and Wilson enjoyed his best showing in a Leeds shirt during the opening exchanges, combining well with Jayden Bogle and James Justin for Calvert-Lewin’s eventually disallowed goal. With James’ pace pushing the Bournemouth defence back, space opened up for his Welsh compatriot to drift into and link up play, which he did albeit without ever producing the killer pass.
Wilson still feels some way off his Fulham best and the winger’s contribution faded after half-time before he was replaced on 84 minutes. But there were at least glimpses of what the free agent can offer and where he could fit into this Leeds team. Make no mistake, however, there still needs to be more end-product.
Trafford mistake has been coming
Leeds had Bournemouth on the back foot for much of the opening half-hour but Trafford gifted the home side their opener in horrible fashion. His pass out to Ao Tanaka always looked risky and was easily intercepted by the alert Kluivert, who could simply square the ball to Evanilson for a tap-in. Such a moment has been coming this season.
Trafford’s style in possession is high risk. The young goalkeeper is supremely confident on the ball and has the passing ability to bait a press before playing through it, making it a potentially high reward tactic. But there have been a few heart-in-mouth moments across the campaign already and this time, it cost Leeds massively.
It was as bad as anything Whites fans had seen from their last few struggling goalkeepers over the years. The difference is the credit in the bank their current No.1 has already built up, preventing far more goals than he’s been at fault for. Yesterday won’t be his only ever error in Leeds colours but the hope is they are far more rare than the brilliant performances.
Toothless second-half a concern
The major worry coming out of this weekend is not Trafford. It is what followed the goalkeeper’s mistake, particularly after a half-time during which Farke will have been relatively pleased with his side’s overall performance. Leeds were behind for over an hour on Saturday, added-time included, and during that time failed to register a single shot on target.
Their one shot on goal came in the 11th minute, Calvert-Lewin’s initial effort from a Justin cross ricocheting off Djordje Petrovic and into the net off the striker’s arm. After that disallowed goal, Farke’s side created an Expected Goals total of just 0.37 according to FotMob, with seven second-half strikes all off target and only two coming inside the area.
Farke introduced a glut of attackers during that period and ended the game with Calvert-Lewin, Lukas Nmecha, Brenden Aaronson, Jean-Matteo Bahoya, Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff all on the pitch to no avail. Leeds have now failed to score in three of their last five matches, while also failing to find the net from open play in four of those five. That is a real worry.