Southampton 1-0 Leeds: Premier League – Player Ratings
By Erik Franzo
Midfielders
Oriol Romeu, Centre-Midfielder – 7
Found himself in awkward attacking position too often in the first half hour. Took a more comfortable role in the second half and read the game extremely well. His passing over 20 yards lets the team down in attack creation. However, he was a constant disrupter and led the charge in ball recovery as always.
Ibrahima Diallo, Centre-Midfielder – 7
Very clean first half hour, but made simple passes too complicated with extra touches. Hopefully the pace of his play will pick up over time. Otherwise, he and Romeu formed a partnership which dominated the Leeds midfield. Diallo is certainly a step quicker than JWP and if he plays a positionally astute match as he did today, he may find himself in quite a few starting elevens this season.
Mohammed Elyounoussi, Attacking-Midfielder – 8
Probably should have scored on a back-post diving header, but hesitated ever so slightly. Was the creative playmaker breaking into the attacking third. Brought a lot to the team when maintaining possession, but never really got into threatening areas to score. A good strike from the left side was a memorable attempt.
Moussa Djenepo, Attacking-Midfielder – 4
First impact, created the perfect opportunity cutting in from the right side, and fumbled the ball beneath his feet. Had one of the most Djenepo moments you could possibly describe in the 33rd. Rolling around the ground and nearly creating an opportunity before losing his balance a second time. It’s as if Moussa’s excitement gets best of his self-control in an all too familiar fashion. His second half dribbler at the end of a well-crafted move was the end of his day. Give him credit for springing Redmond for the Saints’ opener, but he should have scored at least one during his 60 minute run.