Leeds United lost in the Premier League for the first time this season after they were beaten 2-1 by the reigning champions Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.
The Whites had taken the lead in the second half after James Justin brilliantly found the roof of the net with a smart finish from Gabriel Gudmundsson’s cut-back, but it did not last too long.
Riccardo Calafiori equalised for the Gunners before, in true champion fashion, they scored an outstanding goal, finished by Bruno Guimaraes, to win the match.
James Trafford will not be pleased with his efforts to keep out the first goal from Calafiori, as it squirmed past him, but the England international should not be blamed for the result.
Why Trafford was not at fault for Leeds against Arsenal
The two big moments that will stand out to supporters in the match for the shot-stopper will be the goal from the Italian defender and when he came out of his goal late on and allowed Viktor Gyokeres to get the better of him, only for his defenders to cover and smother the chance.
Whilst the £40m summer signing from Manchester City will not want to see the first goal back, there was very little that he could have done about Guimaraes’ sublime finish into the bottom corner.
Trafford also made a few sharp stops to keep the home side at bay either side of the goals, making four saves and preventing 0.96 xG in spite of letting two goals past him.
|
Vs Arsenal |
James Trafford |
|---|---|
|
Saves |
4 |
|
Goals prevented |
+0.96 |
|
Saves from inside the box |
3 |
|
Successful run-outs |
3 |
|
High claims |
1 |
|
Ball recoveries |
14 |
The English stopper’s all-round game, aside from those two standout mistakes, was impressive, which is why he should not take the blame for the loss.
Trafford will have better games for Leeds, he already has, and he is likely to have worse ones. Not his best day at the office, that is for sure, but he was not the reason why the Whites lost the match.
Leeds most drop star who was worse than Trafford
Whilst the goalkeeper should not be blamed for the loss, he should also not be considered the worst performer on the pitch for Farke’s side against the Gunners.
Noah Okafor was selected to start the match in the left-sided number ten role, with Anton Stach on the other side and Dominic Calvert-Lewin as the lone number nine.
As good as the Switzerland international has been for the Whites, scoring nine Premier League goals since the start of last season, he did not look up to the level against Arsenal.
The right-footed attacker did not offer enough to the team in or out of possession on the left flank and was ultimately substituted with 19 minutes left to play, due to his disappointing performance.
His lack of composure with the ball at his feet was a major issue in his performance. The winger lost the ball 12 times from 30 touches of the ball, giving possession away every 2.5 touches on average.
Daniel Farke should drop the former AC Milan and Napoli attacker for the clash with Manchester United at Elland Road next weekend, as he did not do enough at The Emirates to justify retaining his place in the line-up.
|
Vs Arsenal |
Noah Okafor |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
71 |
|
Touches |
30 |
|
Possession lost |
12x |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0 |
|
Successful crosses |
0 |
|
Ground duels won |
0/5 |
|
Aerial duels won |
1/3 |
Okafor came off the pitch after 71 minutes without a single shot on target or chance created for his teammates, which speaks to his complete lack of impact in the final third throughout the game.
The 26-year-old attacker delivered eight goals and one assist in the Premier League in his first season at Elland Road, last term, but he has yet to carry that form over to the current campaign.
On top of his offensive struggles, Okafor was also too weak out of possession. He lost all five of his ground duels and two of his three aerial battles, which shows that Arsenal’s players found it far too easy to get the better of him.
The Switzerland international should lose his place in the team for the game against the Red Devils next time out because of his disappointing performance both on and off the ball.
Trafford, at least, made some key saves and contributed positively to go along with his two errors, whilst Okafor did not have many positive moments to write home about, if any.