Leeds United forward Brenden Aaronson endured an afternoon to forget as his side slipped to a crushing Premier League defeat against Burnley.
An injury to Noah Okafor meant that Leeds started with a front three which included Jack Harrison, Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the crucial clash against their relegation rivals.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke was forced to watch on as his side failed to consistently threaten the Burnley defence, whilst also conceding two preventable goals in a worrying performance.
Aaronson was guilty of missing Leeds’ best chance of the game, as he shot straight at goalkeeper Martin Dubravka with the goal at his mercy.
The American winger was substituted as Leeds chased an equaliser, and Aaronson did not hide his frustration after being withdrawn.
Brenden Aaronson in action for Leeds United
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
Brenden Aaronson reacts to Leeds United substitution
Farke withdrew both Aaronson and Jack Harrison in the 66th minute, with Lukas Nmecha and Dan James being introduced to try and salvage the game.
Aaronson was visibly frustrated as he took his place on the Leeds bench, throwing his bib to the ground in anger.
Whether this was in frustration at the decision to withdraw him with 25 minutes to play, or with his own performance, remains to be seen. However, the Leeds man was not happy.
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The substitutions did not have the desired effect, as Leeds conceded a second shortly after through a Loum Tchouna wonder strike, although questions have to be asked of Anton Stach, who failed to close him down in space.
Brenden Aaronson on the ball during Burnley v Leeds United - Premier League
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Brenden Aaronson’s stats vs Burnley
Aaronson’s performance against Burnley was typical of his time at Leeds, as he did so much right but struggled when the ball entered the final third.
This is evidenced by the FotMob stats from the game against Burnley, as he did a lot of good things, aside from his miss.
Brenden Aaronson vs Burnley:
Touches: 40
Chances Created: 2
Big Chances Missed: 1
Expected Goals: 0.31
Expected Assists: 0.21
Aaronson had 40 touches in total, making 17 successful passes at a success rate of 85%. He also completed 100% of his dribbles and made two successful crosses.
However, the stat that really counts is his one big chance missed, which carried an expected goals total of 0.31. Leeds deserved to lose at Turf Moor, but things could have been different had the American scored from his first-half chance.