Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka put in an exceptional performance against West Ham as we progressed to the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.
The gap between Leeds’ FA Cup tie with West Ham and the following trip to Old Trafford meant Daniel Farke could be afforded the luxury of going strong.
Despite injury concerns, Farke did name a very strong lineup that I certainly liked the look of. The inclusion of Noah Okafor and Ao Tanaka were clear highlights, and that proved the case in the game.
Ao Tanaka scores superb Leeds United goal as Whites beat West Ham on penalties
The Japan international set the tone in the first half in all phases of Leeds’ play. It was reminiscent of Leeds’ performances in previous away games. We started the better team and got our reward with a lead to take into half-time.
That lead came thanks to Tanaka. Picking up possession on halfway, he evaded the press of two West Ham players before spreading the play out to James Justin. Justin fed Okafor, who found the arriving run of Tanaka in the penalty area.
Tanaka then spun two Irons defenders to shift onto his left foot. And, with the aid of a big deflection, his shot looped over Alphonse Areola, off the underside of the crossbar and in.
It was the midfielder’s third goal of the season, giving United the lead before West Ham’s eventual fightback. The game was then taken to penalties, but Lucas Perri was on hand again to deny the Irons twice to send us to Wembley.
Ao Tanaka simply has to play more often under Daniel Farke as Leeds United fight for survival and FA Cup glory
It’s about time he got a start against Premier League opposition.
Tanaka got his run-out in the previous round against Norwich City, and while that was all well and good, he needs and deserves opportunities in these tougher games.
Yesterday proved to me that the £2.95million signing was more than good enough to have a big say in the rest of our survival bid and FA Cup tilt.
|Ao Tanaka v West Ham|
|:---|---|
|Minutes played|69|
|Touches|60|
|Goals|1|
|Pass success|91% (41/45)|
|Pass success in opp. half|90% (26/29)|
|Ground duels won|5/8|
|Tackles won|3/4|
Tanaka demonstrated his quality in possession, completing the majority of his passes in the West Ham half. He also showed grit without the ball too, winning the majority of his duels too and getting stuck in with three tackles won.
With seven league games left, and the likely injury concern for Anton Stach, Tanaka simply has to play more.
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