Leeds United extended their winning run in the Championship to eight matches as they Plymouth Argyle 2-0 at Home Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Whites are currently sat in second place in the division – in the automatic promotion places – but have played a game more than Southampton in third.
Leicester City
1
33
78
Leeds United
2
33
69
Southampton
3
32
67
Ipswich Town
4
32
66
West Bromwich Albion
5
32
52
Coventry City
6
33
51
Current Championship top six (18/02/2024)
The race for automatic promotion back to the Premier League is hotting up and Daniel Farke's side are positioned well at this moment in time.
Leeds are looking to return to the top-flight at the first time of asking and the German head coach, who was brought in last summer to lead the charge, is on course to achieve the club's goal.
He has been blessed with some star performers throughout the season. Crysencio Summerville has grabbed the headlines with his attacking output at the top end of the pitch but the real hero of the campaign for Farke has been versatile enforcer Ethan Ampadu.
Crysencio Summerville's Championship dominance
The 22-year-old winger has been in phenomenal form for the Whites with his outstanding contributions as both a scorer and a creator of goals on the flank.
He produced four goals and two assists in 28 Premier League appearances during the 2022/23 campaign as Leeds were relegated down to the Championship.
The drop to the second tier has allowed the Dutch sensation to flourish as Summerville is currently on a return of 15 goals and eight assists in 30 league matches this term.
His finishing has been extraordinary as he has scored those 15 goals from an xG of 11.62, which means that the talented whiz has more than made the most of the chances that have been created for him throughout the season.
Whereas, Summerville only has eight assists from an xA of 9.33. He has created 16 'big chances' for his teammates but they have not been clinical enough with the opportunities that the young maestro has provided them with.
The former Feyenoord prospect has also got supporters off their seats with his exciting and direct play on the wing as he has completed 2.3 dribbles per match, which highlights his desire to run and get past opposition defenders on a regular basis.
He currently ranks within the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship this season for shot-creating actions (6.65) per 90, and the top 2% for Expected Assisted Goals (0.37) per 90.
Summerville has been one of the best forwards in the division, as illustrated by his outstanding rank among his positional peers as a creator to go along with his 15 goals, and has been key to Leeds' assault on the top two.
He had a quiet match against Plymouth on Saturday, with zero goals and zero key passes, whilst Ampadu produced yet another fantastic display at the heart of the defence alongside Joe Rodon.
Ethan Ampadu's performance against Plymouth in numbers
The Wales international lined up at the back for Leeds and helped to keep the likes of Alfie Devine and Morgan Whittaker from causing too many problems, as the hosts only managed one shot on target all match.
Ampadu's strong performance played a pivotal role in his side keeping a clean sheet at Home Park, which provided the attacking players with the opportunity to go and win the match with their play at the top end of the pitch.
Minutes played
90
Sofascore rating
7.4
Clearances
Four
Blocks
One
Duels contested
Six
Duels won
Five
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the former Chelsea prospect was a dominant force at centre-back for Leeds as he won five of his duels, which means that Plymouth's players found it incredibly difficult to get the better of him in physical contests.
Ampadu was also composed and reliable in possession when passing the ball out from the back as he completed 91% of his attempted passes (74/81) throughout the game.
This was far from a one-off performance from the Welsh enforcer as he has been consistently impressive as both a defensive midfielder and a centre-back this season.
Ethan Ampadu's star role for Leeds
The £7m signing from Chelsea started the campaign in midfield alongside Glen Kamara and caught the eye with his defensive prowess in the middle of the park.
He currently ranks within the top 19% of midfielders for interceptions (1.43) and blocks (1.55) per 90 respectively, and the top 6% for clearances (2.21) per 90 in the Championship this season.
No midfielder within the Leeds squad has averaged more tackles (1.8) or interceptions (1.4) per match than Ampadu so far this term, which illustrates his importance to the side out of possession.
In 33 Championship appearances, the Welsh star has made 59 tackles, 46 interceptions, and a staggering 221 ball recoveries. He has also won an eye-catching 125 duels with a success rate of 57%.
Ampadu's defensive quality has been particularly eye-catching since Farke moved him to centre-back in reaction to Pascal Struijk's injury issue. He has started in the heart of the defence in eight of the club's last nine matches in all competitions, which has resulted in eight wins, seven clean sheets, and one goal conceded.
The 23-year-old tank has been a monster at the back alongside his international teammate Rodon, as they have only allowed one goal to be scored past them in seven league appearances as a centre-back pairing.
His passing quality in that position has also been impressive, as Ampadu currently ranks within the top 13% of central defenders in the division for progressive passes (4.58) per 90.
This shows that the Leeds gem is a forward-thinking player who wants to progress the play for his team by breaking lines and finding teammates in dangerous positions, which is backed up by his rank within the top 4% of centre-backs for shot-creating actions (2.03) per 90.
The Welsh colossus has been Farke's real hero of the campaign as he has provided quality in possession, with his progressive and reliable passing, and out of possession, with his dominant and aggressive defending.
He has also offered outstanding versatility with superb performances as both a midfielder and a centre-back, along with his leadership qualities as the head coach has handed him the armband in the absence of Liam Cooper and Struijk.
Therefore, Ampadu has been the true star of the season over Summerville due to the complete nature of his performances and the platform that his play has provided the Dutch winger, and his fellow attackers, to go and work his magic in the final third.