Leeds United looked back to their attacking best in Monday night’s 4-3 win at Middlesbrough.
Though the game was far more open than Daniel Farke would’ve liked, it was nice to see Leeds’ attacking quartet firing again after a recent barren spell in the eyes of Don Goodman.
Of Leeds‘ starting front four at the Riverside, only Crysencio Summerville had managed to either find the back of the net, or provide an assist in the five matches since the international break.
Thankfully, that all changed against Boro as Summerville netted twice, Patrick Bamford scored for the first time in six and Willy Gnonto also re-found his goalscoring touch on his second start since injury.
Georginio Rutter may not have officially registered a goal or assist on the statistics, but it was his driving run that won Leeds the penalty that got themselves back in the game.
Patrick Bamford shows Farke he was right to keep the faith vs Boro
The number nine position has arguably been Leeds’ biggest problem over the last few weeks, with calls for Mateo Joseph’s full league debut growing louder and louder.
Joseph has been making some significant impacts off the bench lately but Farke has continued to resist the urge to bring him into the starting XI despite external noise.
Bamford was then rightly dropped against Blackburn Rovers in Leeds’ last game before the trip to Boro, but his replacement Joel Piroe was even more ineffective than the £7m man had been previously.
As such, Farke opted to bring Bamford straight back into the team on Monday, and it was a decision that worked. Not only did he get back on the scoresheet, but his hold-up play was also much better.
Bamford’s recent performances have been labelled as ‘lethargic‘ lately though Farke has been quick to jump to his defence, suggesting he offers far more than given credit for.
But there could have been no such accusations on Monday, as Bamford held the ball up much better, which was evident in his involvement for Summerville’s second goal.
There are always moments in matches where Bamford looks incredibly slow on the ball, but more often than not at the Riverside, he was making the right decision. When he plays like that, Gnonto believes he makes those better around him.