I made the trip to Bristol City on Saturday to witness Leeds United return to winning ways.
I give my view of the performance after the 3-0 win.
Lonergan 7
He didn`t have a lot to do with the Leeds defence on top for most of the game. When called into action, he made the saves. I feel much more confident in him in goal for Leeds.
Ayling 7
He looked much better after a few below par performances in recent games.
Cooper 7
A great partnership with Pennington, as the pair dealt with almost everything that came at them aerially.
Pennington 7
He was brought in for Pontus Jansson. A surprise decision by head coach Thomas Christiansen to drop Jansson for Pennington but one that was to prove to be a good one. He was superb alongside Cooper and I think Jansson will have to up his game again if he is to displace the pair.
Berardi 5
He was given a torrid time by the Bristol City winger in the first half and then a stupid red card in the second half. I love the man`s desire for the shirt but we can do without him being suspended for three games. His red mist gives Vurnon Anita his chance again.
Vieira 8 Star Man
I think we were all happy to see him start and like Bristol City manager Lee Johnson admitted after the game, he was unplayable. He seemed to be everywhere, snapping into tackles and starting the Leeds attack. His performance allowed others to cause problems in the final third.
O`Kane 7
He works hard and he often drives Leeds forward from midfield. A good partnership alongside Vieira.
Saiz 8
He scored two goals and a very good all-round performance. He was a constant threat for Leeds going forward.
Lasogga 8
A well-deserved goal in a hardworking performance. He was faced with two big central defenders but he was a constant thorn in their side.
Phillips 8
Allowed to concentrate on attacking with the inclusion of Vieira and he had a very good game.
Alioski 7
A good first half but he drifted out of the game in the second half.
Subs
Sacko 5
He came on with the game won and I was hoping to see him cause problems in the final twenty-minutes but he never went at their full back when in possession.
Anita
He was brought on late in the game to replace Berardi. He will now get his chance to win back his place in the side with Berardi suspended.
Grot
He was brought on for the final few minutes.
Summary
After the performances in the last three games, I don`t think any of us saw this coming against a Bristol City side who have started the season well. We started on the front foot and the early goal made the difference, something we didn`t get at either Cardiff City or Sheffield Wednesday, despite dominating the first 15 minutes in each of those two games.
Vieira made a huge difference. His inclusion allowed the forward thinking players to cause problems and we looked a constant threat with Saiz, Alioski and Lasogga combining well in the final third.
There were a number of great partnerships all over the pitch. Pennington and Cooper at the back, O`Kane and Vieira in the middle and Alioski and Saiz further forward. It really was a good team performance.
On to Leicester City on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup and I expect wholesale changes to be made with a more important game against Sheffield United three days later.
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