Piroe’s debut, Rutter’s class and Byram injury as Leeds United beat …

Leeds United claimed their first Championship win of the season as they edged out Ipswich Town to claim an entertaining 4-3 win at Portman Road.

Here’s the winners and losers.

Winners

Georginio Rutter

His best game in the white of Leeds by a country mile. Rutter looked to struggle against West Bromwich Albion as he tried to lead the line on his own, but he was arguably Leeds’ brightest at Portman Road.

His first goal for the club certainly helped him settle into the game, and he took it very well. Carrying the ball into the box, he held off the defender well before poking the ball across the goalkeeper and into the corner of the net.

That gave him an enormous boost and with Joel Piroe, Wilfried Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra combining with and around him, he proved to be a huge threat for the Whites.

Joel Piroe

A debut to remember for the Dutchman, who took just 19 minutes to score his first goal for the club. Piroe only completed his move to the club from Swansea City on Thursday night, but he was thrown straight into the starting line-up by Daniel Farke and he didn’t let his new manager down.

He instantly looked the part at the head of the field, holding onto the ball well, bringing others into play and combining with his new teammates. He found himself in the right place at the right time to poke home Sinisterra’s rebounded effort, and he posed a threat throughout the remainder of the contest, constantly looking to work shooting opportunities and test the Tractor Boys' keeper.

Daniel Farke

A win. At long last, a win. Farke has had to be patient at Elland Road but he finally has his first league victory on the board and it came in what was supposed to be the Whites’ biggest test so far at unbeaten Ipswich.

It will be mixed emotions for Farke, who saw his side concede three and struggle defensively for large periods of the game, but his side’s attacking output will have been enough to see him leave Suffolk with a smile on his face. Things will surely only get better for the German now as the Whites look to add even more quality to their squad over the last week of the window.

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Losers

Sam Byram

Injuries were what Leeds fans feared when the club announced the signing of Sam Byram over the summer and those fears became reality at Portman Road as he was forced off the field after just 24 minutes. Byram was performing so well in the game and provided the assist for Wilfried Gnonto’s goal in the 14th minute with a well-placed cross to the back post.

But, he injured himself in the process of making an important block and after receiving treatment on the field for a couple of minutes, he got to his feet and left the field to be replaced by Cody Drameh. It’s unclear what the issue was but Daniel Farke will hope it is minor.

Cody Drameh

Drameh struggled to find any sort of traction in the game in Suffolk and after seeing Wes Burns get the better of him on a number of occasions, he committed a huge error. After initially miscontrolling the ball, Drameh saw his loose back pass cut out by Kayden Jackson, who picked out Nathan Broadhead for Ipswich’s second just before the break.

As such, Farke made the decision to hook him at the break and shore up the left side in Byram’s absence by bringing Jamie Shackleton into the game.

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References

^{^} Leeds United player ratings as Piroe, Gnonto and Rutter lead ruthless front-four demolition (www.leeds-live.co.uk)
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