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Matthew Holt

Dan James' the star for Leeds United, but questions asked of Raphinha's Villa showing

Leeds United continued their quest for survival this season with a thoroughly entertaining 3-3 draw with Aston Villa on Wednesday evening.

The Whites flew out of the traps and within 9 minutes took the lead at Villa Park thanks to Dan James early drive.

Minutes later the Welsh midfielder came forward once more, rattling his effort off the crossbar almost doubling his sides advantage.

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But within 13 short minutes, the game was flipped completely on its head. As first Coutinho, then two strikes from Jacob Ramsey led Villa into a seemingly commanding 3-1 scoreline.

Bielsa's men however rallied again, with the ever-present James popping up once more to prod home, reducing the deficit to just one heading into the break.

And with just over an hour played in the second city, the comeback was complete. Diego Llorete seized upon some shoddy Villa defending to lash home his side's equaliser.

With fans alike sharing their joy at Leeds' spirited fightback, James received large credit for arguably his best performance since joining the club, with one fan writing: ''Well done James keep up the amazing work.''

Defender Pascal Struijk was commended for his hard work with a 7 in the post match player ratings, although some fans believed he warranted a higher merit across the 90 minutes.

''Struik was a 9,'' posted one United supporter, with another adding: ''He is utter class, first name down for me and Koch has to play, hardly ever puts a foot wrong.''

Here's how Leeds United fans rated the players following Wednesday night's game.

''Rodrigo was certainly not a ‘star’ in this game, he was poor,'' posted one Leeds United fan, with the Spaniard facing criticism having only found the net twice all season.

On a quiet night for often superstar Raphinha, the Whites showed guts and desire to claw back from two goals down, with a trip to Merseyside next on the cards.

Sitting four points behind United heading into Saturday's crucial clash, the Toffee's have endured a difficult season, with the two side's playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Elland Road back in August.

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