Whisper it quietly near Elland Road, but Leeds United’s narrow 2-1 victory over Preston North End on Saturday could be the pivotal result that spurs the Whites to finally break out of the Championship.
After all, with Sheffield United losing in dramatic fashion to Plymouth Argyle at the same time Leeds secured this golden win, Daniel Farke’s men are now five points clear of the Blades who occupy third spot, with Leeds and Burnley potentially pushing away in high-stakes contests to come.
Of course, nothing is set in stone in such an unpredictable and fast-paced division, but Jayden Bogle’s winner against Paul Heckingbottom’s visitors might well become a memorable moment to savour down the line, as the ex-Blades defender continues to rub salt into the Bramall Lane wound.
Bogle's performance in numbers vs Preston
Bogle really has been a standout performer in West Yorkshire ever since he darted across from Sheffield to join Farke’s ranks, with the attack-minded full-back in amongst the goals once more versus Preston.
Manor Solomon had initially gifted the hosts a breakneck lead after just four minutes with a sumptuous curled effort, but the bold away side would unfortunately fight back to instantly level the hectic affair.
Amazingly, this wouldn’t prove to be a long-lasting setback for Farke and Co, however, with the aforementioned Bogle powerfully heading home this effort after Solomon’s cross.
It was certainly a full-throttle showing from Bogle during the lunchtime kick-off, with the 24-year-old finishing the 2-1 win by amassing two key passes and winning five duels, away from being the crucial difference-maker for the table-toppers.
Farke would have been thanking his lucky stars at the end that his £5m man had his shooting boots on, largely due to one below-par attacker in particular.
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5/10 Leeds star must now be dropped
On another afternoon, Leeds would have cruised to a far more comprehensive win, considering the automatic promotion hopefuls tallied up a hefty 20 shots in total.
But, the three points were clinched in a far more cautious fashion instead, with Joel Piroe constantly fluffing his lines as the home side’s main marksman.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Expected goals (xG)
1.50 xG
Shots
7
Big chances missed
2
Touches
50
Accurate passes
27/34 (79%)
Possession lost
11x
Successful dribbles
0/2
Total duels won
4/12
Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Piroe had a notable off-day in front of the goal to the detriment of his usually free-flowing side, with the Dutchman disappointingly missing two big chances from his seven shots on the busy Preston net.
Moreover, there is a further argument to drop Piroe for crunch games moving forward based on his lackadaiscal approach on the ball, seen in the dire fact the Whites number ten lost the ball a worrying every 4 and a half touches during the 2-1 victory.
Piroe has shown off his deadly edge this season away from this shoddy display – with the 6 foot 1 attacker actually Leeds’ top scorer in the Championship with a bumper 15 goals – but he is now without a strike in league action since the tail-end of February, meaning a change in personnel up top might now be necessary.
Given a low 5/10 rating post-match by Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth, who stated that his ineffective performance in the attacking areas could have ‘easily’ cost his side a win on another day, Farke might now be willing to chuck Mateo Joseph into his XI in games to come ahead of the ex-Swansea City underperformer.
After all, the German has already seen last-minute calls such as these can work with Karl Darlow now in between the sticks ahead of an error-prone Illan Meslier, meaning Piroe might be the next dismal figure on the chopping block.
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