Shades of Klich: Leeds “monster” was even better than Aaronson vs Man Utd
Heading into Sunday’s clash, Leeds United would have heavily fancied their chances against Ruben Amorim’s hot-and-cold Manchester United.
After all, entering into this showdown between two bitter foes, the moods were very different, with the Whites pleased with a battling 0-0 draw on the road at Liverpool last time out, while the Red Devils shakily secured a share of the points versus bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Another Premier League draw was on the menu at Elland Road, as Matheus Cunha quickly cancelled out Brenden Aaronson’s opener, which sent the home fans inside Leeds’ beloved home ground into raptures.
Aaronson, once again, impressed in the middle of the park for Daniel Farke’s reinvigorated hosts, with his overall display also pleasing to take in, away from his memorable second-half effort beating Senne Lammens.
Aaronson's standout performance vs Man Utd
Aaronson easily shrugged off an attempted challenge by Ayden Heaven to fire the home side into a one-goal lead, as his resurgence in the Leeds starting lineup shows no signs of coming to a grinding halt.
Indeed, heading into this showdown with the Red Devils, the energetic American had managed to tally up two assists against Liverpool and Sunderland in December, but he was the goalscoring hero for a change against Amorim’s men.
On top of bagging a crucial goal, the former RB Salzburg attacker also showed off plenty of passion as Yorkshire faced off against Lancashire, with the lively number 11 going in for 11 duels in total.
Constantly bombing forward with pace, as well, Farke will know that Aaronson’s energy and determination will continue to be pivotal, as the games come thick and fast across the rest of the bumper month.
The team’s overall standards have risen so much in recent weeks that Aaronson would admit – at the close of the 1-1 draw – that he was disappointed that the three points didn’t come their way.
Still, there were a lot of positives for Leeds to latch onto, even if a win didn’t arrive.
The Leeds star who was even better than Aaronson
Leeds fans watching the game at home would have been greeted with a brief trip down memory lane as former Whites star Mateusz Klich spoke to the media pre-match.
Hailing the Whites as a “special place”, Klich is still loved to this day for what he offered Leeds over many a season, with 24 goals and 21 assists coming the Polish midfielder’s way from 195 games.
Picking up nine goal contributions from 35 clashes, Klich was always a reliable performer at his Elland Road peak.
Anton Stach looks to be heading down the same path as Klich in being a well-rounded presence, capable of also chipping in with a goal or an assist in the Premier League, with the former Hoffenheim midfielder going down as an instant hit in England since moving in the summer.
Stach’s performance in numbers
Stat
Stach
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
77
Shots
1
Accurate passes
38/50 (76%)
Key passes
3
Tackles won
3/5
Total duels won
7/13
Stats by Sofascore
He wouldn’t add to his three goals and two assists for the season against the Red Devils, but he was definitely lively throughout from the middle of the park, winning three tackles and seven duels to continue to live up to his reputation of being a “monster” that was handed to him by one scout.
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But, as journalist Paddy Keogh stated, Stach also showed off why he’s a “serious all-action” option for Farke – like Klich once was, with the skilful German coming off at the end of the tight contest with three key passes under his belt, as Leeds constantly attempted to unlock a stern United defence.
Aaronson’s numbers fall flat in comparison, despite his goal stealing the headlines come the end of the match, with the American only managing to register one key pass.
Moreover, despite the 5-foot-10 attacker putting his neck on the line to try and win 11 duels, he would only come out on top two times, while Stach would valiantly win seven of his own 13 duels, with Leeds Live journalist Isaac Johnson stating that he “held his ground” bravely amid a 7/10 post-match rating.
Leeds’ immediate future in the Premier League looks bright if both Stach and Aaronson continue to excel, with the German hopeful that he can be seen as another cult figure like Klich down the line, if he can keep up these sublime performances.
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