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Leeds United produced a scintillating display to overcome fellow Championship promotion hopefuls West Brom by a 4-0 scoreline at Elland Road on Friday night.
An early Pablo Hernandez strike from range set the tone, before a Patrick Bamford brace and a late Ezgjan Alioski tap in added some well-deserved gloss to the scoreline.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side were dominant throughout and barely gave the Baggies an inch. To a man, the hosts were impressive, and showed great application to maintain their intensity, aggression, high pressing and attacking verve from the first whistle to the last.
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One player who failed to get on the scoreline, but shone nonetheless, and embodied the commitment and work rate demanded by Bielsa, was Tyler Roberts.
The 20-year-old attacker has had his critics this season, but produced a performance of the highest calibre against his former club on Friday to prove his worth to the Whites. The four-cap Wales international was absolutely everywhere, bringing grit and determination to his defensive duties, whilst providing creativity and composure when on the offensive.
Heading into Friday’s clash, Roberts had only registered two Championship assists all season. However, he doubled his tally against the Baggies. In total, Roberts produced four key passes and completed four successful dribbles, as per WhoScored’s stats.
His distribution was also constantly progressive, as he relentlessly sought to invent opportunities for his side. Whilst his pass accuracy rating of 72% wasn’t the highest, this was due to his persistent desire to make things happen in the final third.
Perhaps most impressive, though, was Roberts’ defensive work. The forward made three tackles against West Brom and was always willing to track back to help his team.
All in all, it was the kind of performance that can silence doubters and give the player a platform of confidence to build upon.