What more do MK have to do? The goal drought may have ended in the week in the 2-1 loss at Burnley, but luck just hasn’t been on their side in recent games, and today was no exception.
It has to be said however, Leeds deserved the goals they got, it was a stonewall penalty that led to their first goal, and I don’t think any goalkeeper in this league would have saved Charlie Taylor’s strike. But once again the few slices of luck the Dons desperately need deserted them, once through an astonishing save by Leeds’ Alex Silvestri, and a few times by the referee for not awarding a penalty to the home side on a number of occasions.
On the other hand, the Dons could perhaps have the finger pointed at them for being too shy in front of goal, something that is fast becoming an unwanted trait.
MK Dons 1-2 Leeds United: Match and Player Review
So it might not have been the result the MK faithful were after, but let’s take a look at the individual performances from today;
GK – David Martin (6)
Did the little he had to with relative ease. There were only 5 attempts on target for Leeds, 2 of which were the goals, so very little to do really. The thing that let him down once again was his poor distribution, either going to a Leeds player or just straight off the pitch.
RB – Jordan Spence (7)
Similar to Martin, he had a rather quiet afternoon, with nothing really done that influenced the game. He dealt with the pace on the Leeds wings on a number of occasions but other than that there wasn’t too much he had to do, and nothing to fault him on either.
CB – Kyle McFadzean (5)
Another poor showing from the Yorkshire man, who was at fault for Leeds’ second goal. Instead of actually making the tackle of Taylor, he just backed off and kept doing so until eventually Taylor let rip with a wonderful strike for the second goal. He needs to start improving soon after below par performances against both Middlesborough and Burnley, otherwise he could soon find that Matthew Upson will be starting ahead of him.
CB – Antony Kay (7)
Was solid when he was called upon, which in honesty wasn’t all that often. Also very unluckily denied a goal in the 93rd minute as his header was blocked on the line, which would’ve earned the hosts a point. Passing and calming influence at the back was also very close to its best.
LB – Dean Lewington (6)
Another quiet game for the left back, but defensively he was relatively solid for the 90 minutes, especially compared to some of his recent performances. He didn’t go forward as much today which was probably an advantage as it allowed Josh Murphy to come into the game more.
CDM – Diego Poyet (8)
The man can do no wrong. Since joining on a season-long loan from West Ham, Poyet has become a regular feature in front of the back line and it’s not hard to see why with some of his performances, especially today as he broke up the majority of Leeds’ attacks and fought for every ball. His starring moment came in stoppage time when David Martin came up for a corner, but Leeds broke out and attacked after he had given the ball away. After an almighty sprint back to the goal, he was there to block the shot on the line with Martin still nowhere to be seen, and to keep the score line at least fairly respectable.
CDM – Samir Carruthers (6)
A much improved showing from Carruthers, but there are still a few aspects of his game that he needs to improve to really assert himself in the CDM position, for example his passing which is still often wayward. His temper needs to be looked at too, as his needless challenge resulted in a red card from referee David Webb.
RM – Carl Baker (7)
Another good showing to add to his performance in the week at Burnley where he grabbed the Dons’ single goal. He’s somebody who will always give 100% no matter the situation, and that was evident today too with some tireless running and very close shots. The only downside today was his clumsy challenge on Taylor that resulted in the penalty which Chris Wood duly converted.
CAM – Rob Hall (7)
Another good performance from the Bolton loanee who has impressed in all of his performances so far, who twice went close in the first half, one only by a stunning save from Silvestri. If he keeps up his form, he could soon cement a starting position and become an integral part of this season, which is starting to become much more of what was predicted.
LM – Josh Murphy (8)
Again, a lively performance from the man on loan from Norwich. A few very close efforts in the first half but nothing to really trouble Silvestri, and some of his touches and skills reflected his rating. Similar to Hall, if he continues his form a starting place could soon become a regular occurrence for him.
ST – Sam Gallager (5)
Since my second article, it seems Sam Gallagher’s form has decreased with every game he has played. Today was a very poor performance from the Southampton loanee, capped off by a woeful miss in the first half, firing over with a clear open goal in front of him. Things need to start improving, otherwise Simon Church could get the nod over him a lot more than at the moment.
Substitutes
Simon Church (7) – You can see the determination on his face every time he comes on, and today he will be thrilled to finally get his first competitive goal for the club. Hopefully after this, there will be a lot more to come.
Ben Reeves (6) – Wasn’t really involved much apart from some dangerous deliveries on his return from injury. He has definitely been missed and can now hopefully provide some more quality assists to get the goals flowing again.
Dean Bowditch – Not on long enough to warrant a rating.
