Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison were on the scoresheet on Saturday for Leeds United, as they recorded a 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers in-front of over 35,000 at Elland Road.

Leeds took control of the game in the first-half, with Bamford (from the penalty spot) and Harrison scoring inside the opening 36 minutes. Derrick Williams would half the lead and make things uncomfortable from 40 minutes, but Marcelo Bielsa’s side hung onto the three points.

Whilst the scoreline suggests it was a fairly close game, that wasn’t really the case, with the stats well in Leeds’ favour and the scoreline flattering Tony Mowbray’s side.

That dominance was summed up with one particular battle, with Bradley Dack and Kalvin Phillips going up against each other in the middle of the park.

And, it was Phillips who came out well on top in the game’s key battle, with the 23-year-old limiting Blackburn’s top goalscorer on a tough afternoon.

As our graphic shows, both players completed 90 minutes, as they so often do given their importance to their respective sides.

However, it was Phillips, who man-marked Dack for large parts, enjoying the better afternoon.

Bielsa’s midfield general won 76% of his defensive duels, which left Dack with just 19% success in his attacking match-ups.

Phillips managed nine interceptions, blocked two shots and made two clearances, as well as conceding just one foul, which really highlighted how disciplined he was against the dangerous Dack, who failed to win a single free-kick all game.

Dack is Blackburn’s top goalscorer this season, whilst he’s also got three assists in all competitions. Yet, there were no shots on target and no shot assists at Elland Road for the 25-year-old.

On one occasion only, Dack got the better of Phillips, which resulted in the attacking midfielder breaking into the area before slicing his only shot of the game right across goal.

That summed up Blackburn’s quality in the final third at Leeds, with Mowbray’s side’s only shot on target coming in the form of Williams’ header on 40 minutes.

A polar opposite to Leeds, then, who showed how clinical they can be when Harrison latched on to Bamford’s pass to fire in for 2-0.

However, this wasn’t a performance that underlined Leeds’ quality in the final third, but it was one that showed how Bielsa’s side can nullify a side’s threat and make a trip to Elland Road unbearable.

Phillips epitomised that by dwarfing Dack for 90 minutes.