When Tottenham and Leeds came to blows on Saturday it was an unrelenting difference in style.
Jose Mourinho has become about scoring an early goal and then defending what you have. For Leeds, it’s all about attacking from minute one until the final kick of the game.
Even in matches against the top sides, Marcelo Bielsa’s men have utilised that strategy but it didn’t particularly pay off this weekend. It may not have been the 6-2 drubbing they were on the end of at Old Trafford but they were still played off the park in a 3-0 defeat.
Spurs were excellent and once again it was Heung-min Son and Harry Kane that put the opposition to the sword.
However, the true hero wasn’t anyone in Mourinho’s attack. Instead, it was left-back Ben Davies.
The former Swansea man hasn’t exactly had the best of seasons and that’s typified by quotes from pundit Noel Whelan, someone who tore the defender apart for his performance against Liverpool.
“That’s embarrassing for any senior pro, appalling, really, even against a side who dominate possession and pen you into your own half all the time,” he said.
That being said, Davies has bounced back and now looks a man reborn, putting in a number of convincing displays for the Lilywhites. He was assured in the draw with Wolves but was even better on this occasion.
Compared to Matt Doherty on the right, the Welshman dealt with the Leeds attack competently and won a colossal 85.7% of the duels he contested – meaning he lost just one.
Everything Raphinha threw at him, he seemed to deal with. Davies also completed 87% of his passes and produced two key passes, proving a threat in the left-hand channel.
His impact in that third of the pitch could have been better but what was most pleasing, was that his defensive display was impressive when Sergio Reguilon was missing.
The left-back hasn’t always been particularly well-received but he’s now starting to find more consistency. Long may it continue.