Leeds United scored a stoppage-time winner against Birmingham City in a what was a pulsating encounter between the two sides, with one player going under the radar despite proving influential.
The Yorkshire outfit took a two-goal lead thanks to Helder Costa and Jack Harrison inside the opening 21 minutes of the clash (via BBC).
However, the Blues struck back with two goals of their own through Jude Bellingham and Lukas Jutkiewicz.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men then, once again, took the lead in the 69th minute when Luke Ayling produced a stunning strike.
However, Birmingham were refusing to throw in the towel as they once again equalised through Jeremie Bela.
But, Leeds, through Stuart Dallas, once again struck as the Northern Irishman scored from inside the penalty box.
Jutkiewicz thought he had earned his side a point with a 91st-minute strike, only for Wes Harding to put through his own net in the 95th minute.
The unsung hero for Leeds proved to be Ezgjan Alioski, whose crucial performance seemed to escape the attention of the masses.
As well as notching up two assists, he made the joint-second most tackles (2) and the second-most clearances (4) for his side (via WhoScored).
Going forward, he was an unstoppable force against the Midlands side as he had the most shots (3), played the joint-most key passes (2) and completed the joint-most dribbles (1).
Leeds Live seemed to agree with this assessment as they gave him a six out of 10, commenting on his attacking contribution.
They said: “A neat little tap to set up Harrison’s goal and another assist for Ayling’s corker – although he can’t claim too much credit for that. Questionable positioning for Birmingham’s first, though.” (Source: Leeds Live)
Leeds fans, what did you make of Alioski’s performance? Let us know your thoughts below!
