da gbg bet: Leeds United came from behind twice to salvage a home draw against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, but results elsewhere have left Javi Gracia’s outfit mired in the relegation zone.
da apostaganha: Wins for Bournemouth and Everton against Liverpool and Brentford respectively ensured that both teams will spend the week outside of the bottom three, with the Whites now facing the onerous task of searching for a route out of the dreaded drop zone in the table.
With Brighton chasing European football next season, currently in seventh place and nine points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with three games in hand, the away side were always going to be favourites, but Leeds demonstrated their grit and tenacity in clawing back from conceding, also offering far more offensive promise than much of their miserable campaign has displayed.
Having fallen behind in both halves, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison netted to restore parity and ensure that Leeds have a foundation to build from over the business end of the campaign, and it was the enterprising Harrison who took home the plaudits for his well-taken late finish, having supplied an assist for his talisman beforehand.
How did Jack Harrison perform against Brighton?
It has not been plain sailing for Leeds this season, and Harrison has certainly found himself in turbulent waters for large portions of the campaign, failing to replicate the clinical consistency of the past few years.
Before his performance against the Seagulls, the former Manchester City youth prospect had only found the back of the net once in the Premier League all season, in the third match-week against Chelsea, but now boasts two goals and six assists from 22 starts in the division.
As per Sofascore, the 26-year-old recorded a match rating of 7.8, the highest of any Leeds player on the pitch – including Bamford, and complemented his direct contributions with 60 touches, a 74% pass success rate, three key passes, two tackles, and two interceptions.
Hailed for his “cracking” strike by journalist Joe Donnahue, the £50k-per-week ace will have a big part to play in the closing phase of the season, and his goal will perhaps lead him to rekindle his scoring touch and replicate past feats in scoring eight times in each of the past two league terms.
His second-half strike will be especially pleasing given that he turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Solly March after the hour mark, with Leeds squandering the lead and looking destined for further misery before the wily winger rectified his misfortune.
Therefore, the gem was the star player for Leeds, ahead of Bamford, as his wizardry earned the side a valuable point as the maestro proved to be a menace to the opposition throughout the match.
With United only one point adrift from safety, there will be cautious optimism from Gracia’s camp that the situation can be turned around, preserving coveted top-flight status after so many years languishing away from prominence.
And if Harrison can continue his good form in front of goal, the Whites are in good stead to chip away and clinch further points, with the forthcoming away trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers not looking like a genuine six-pointer at the bottom of the table.