When Leeds United signed James Justin in the summer, fans of relegated Leicester City were delighted at the moment they got, but he’s proved his quality tonight.
A lot was made of our recruitment during the summer when we slumped into a losing run and Daniel Farke was facing sack pressure.
However, a change in formation and tactical approach has not only rejuvenated Farke’s prospects, but all of his squad as well.
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Leeds United see off Liverpool pressure with superb 0-0 draw
After a gripping second half that saw six goals at Elland Road a month ago, United played out a much more cagey affair at Anfield tonight.
If you’d have looked at the xG and the spread of stats from tonight’s game, you’d have thought Leeds were fortunate to hold on. In truth, a draw was exactly what Leeds deserved for some incredibly robust defending both on the deck and in the air.
Leeds United see out Premier League draw away at Liverpool. (REUTERS/Phil Noble)
Outside of a bizarre Hugo Ekitike missed header, Lucas Perri never really looked like being beaten by the Reds’ expensively assembled front line.
A somewhat tepid ‘onslaught’ in added time was seen off and Leeds came away with a valuable point to move back to seven clear of West Ham.
James Justin scoops up Player of the Match to make mockery of Leicester City jibes
I’m old enough to remember when Leicester City fans were in hysterics at Leeds agreeing to pay £8million up front for James Justin. The relegated Foxes thought they were getting the deal of a lifetime. All you have to do is search his name with “LCFC” on X to get a glimpse of what they thought of the full-back.
It might have been something of an overspend, given his inconsistency and injury troubles. But, Leeds have found a very reliable backup full-back to Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Drafted in ahead of a rested Bogle, who now avoids a one-match suspension for bookings – unlike Ethan Ampadu annoyingly – Justin put in a marvellous performance.
|James Justin v Liverpool|
|---|---|
|Minutes played|90|
|Touches|35|
|Pass success|8/13 (62%)|
|Clearances|6|
|Interceptions + blocked shots|3|
|Ground duels (won)|5 (3)|
|Aerial duels (won)|6 (3)|
|Fouls|0|
Justin started as a right-wing-back. However, Sebastiaan Bornauw’s injury in the second half forced Justin to drop into a right-sided centre-back role later on.
He earned the Premier League’s Player of the Match prize for his outing at Anfield. A deserved pick-up for the 27-year-old.
Read more: 3 Dominic Calvert-Lewin transfer backups Leeds United must consider.