Fans overwhelmingly vote Aaronson as their Hisense Player of the Match | OneFootball

Brenden Aaronson was voted Hisense Player of the Match by Leeds United supporters following the Whites’ hard-fought Premier League draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The 25-year-old playmaker claimed 61% of the fan vote, finishing well clear of Dominic Calvert-Lewin (13%), Anton Stach (12%) and Ethan Ampadu (7%), after producing an all-action display that underpinned Leeds’ attacking threat throughout the contest.

Aaronson played the full 90 minutes and was central to everything positive about Leeds’ play in the final third. He created more chances than any other player on the pitch, laying on five in total, including two big chances, while completing 31 accurate passes from his 55 touches.

His biggest contribution came early in the second half. After Simon Adingra had given Sunderland the lead on 28 minutes, Leeds emerged with renewed purpose following the interval. Within two minutes of the restart, Aaronson drifted into space and delivered a perfectly weighted pass for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who finished clinically to draw the Whites level in the 47th minute.

It was an assist that typified Aaronson’s growing influence in the Premier League. The American now has three assists in his last seven top-flight appearances and currently sits as Leeds’ leading provider in the division this season.

The numbers behind his performance were just as eye-catching. Aaronson recorded 15 touches inside the opposition penalty area, took a shot, made two recoveries and continued to press with intensity across the pitch. In doing so, he reached rare statistical territory: he is only the second player in the Premier League this season to register both 15 touches in the opposition box and five chances created in a single match. Remarkably, he is also the first player Opta has on record since 2008-09 to achieve that feat for a newly promoted side.

For a Leeds team continuing to adapt to life back in the Premier League, Aaronson’s display offered further evidence of his importance at the heart of Daniel Farke’s system. Relentless in his movement, inventive in possession and decisive in key moments, he once again set the tempo for the Whites.