No mistaking Leeds United captain Liam Cooper's display in mistaken full match on Whites return

Cooper returned straight to the starting line-up for Saturday's Premier League clash against Southampton at Elland Road as the Whites captain bagged his first minutes since injuring his hamstring at the start of December.

Boss Jesse Marsch had said beforehand that neither Cooper nor the fellow returning Kalvin Phillips were yet 90-minutes match fit and the Whites head coach wanted to take his captain off as he tired in the closing stages against the Saints.

Instead, as part of a staff mix up, Pascal Struijk replaced Luke Ayling who had gone down needing treatment shortly before the third and final change which was intended for Cooper to make way in the 89th minute.

But that meant Cooper instead came through the full duration of a contest in which he played a vital part towards helping Leeds to a 1-1 draw.

The Scotland international lined up alongside Diego Llorente at centre-back as Struijk dropped out of the side, joining fellow centre-back options Robin Koch and Charlie Cresswell on the bench.

And Cooper would have helped Leeds to a first clean sheet since November but for a majestic free-kick from James Ward-Prowse four minutes after the break which cancelled out Jack Harrison's 29-minute opener.

The tricky Kyle Walker-Peters was eventually fouled amidst a group of players on the edge of the box for the free-kick that Ward-Prowse sent into the top left corner which prevented the Whites from their first shut out of the opposition in 18 games.

Leeds have not kept a clean sheet since the 1-0 win at home to Crystal Palace on November 30 which proved Cooper's last full game since Saturday's return.

And despite being given a stern examination by Saints front two Che Adams and Armando Broja, Cooper impressed on his return, backed up by some strong figures.

One of his most telling contributions came in the 28th minute when the Whites captain tussled with Broja near the halfway line and managed to clear United's lines with a header despite laying on the ground.

One minute later Leeds were ahead and Cooper won eight of his attempted ten aerial battles, more than any other player on the pitch.

The defender also weighed in with seven clearances and four interceptions and from 54 touches of the ball, the skipper attempted 38 passes, 31 of which were accurate for a passing success rate of 82 per cent.

No other Leeds player could better that and furthermore the stats do not factor in the 30-year-old's leadership and organisational skills, the defender as vocal as ever and clearly soon back commanding his troops.

The end goal is for those troops to bag enough points to achieve Premier League survival and Cooper's return is a big boost in the bid to enable that to happen.

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