Norwich City: 8.5/10 Leeds United ace gave Thorup mainstay his toughest night yet at Carrow Road - View | OneFootball

Norwich City's Callum Doyle will have easier games than playing against Leeds United's Willy Gnonto.

On Tuesday evening, Norwich City and Leeds United played out a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road, with two of the best players in the league in their positions facing off against each other on the same side of the pitch in Willy Gnonto and Callum Doyle.

Daniel Farke's former side took an early lead through Josh Sargent from the penalty spot after the USA international was fouled clumsily by Joe Rodon following some quick footwork in the box.

However, United did not lie down on the Daniel Farke's return to East Anglia, after an improved second-half performance earnt them a point to move them up to fourth place in the table - jumping ahead of Blackburn Rovers in the process.

Largie Ramazani secured a point with a smart left-footed finish after he was played through by Gnonto on the hour mark, with his goal earning Leeds yet another result away from home and another to Farke’s former side.

The German has won three and drawn two of his five matches against Norwich, but there was one match up in particular which caught the eye both prior to kick-off and during the fixture itself - that was Gnonto against Doyle.

Callum Doyle's start to life at Norwich City has been impressive

Doyle has immediately asserted himself as a key figure in the Norwich side since joining on loan in early August, with the 20-year-old making the temporary switch from Man City.

He has previously spent time on loan in the Championship with Coventry City and Leicester City, whilst he had a successful stint in League One with Sunderland as well as part of his continued development away from the Etihad Stadium.

The young left-footed defender is no stranger to playing in a team with big expectations, and has both the personality and quality to be a key player this season.

Doyle has so far featured in all eight of the Canaries’ league fixtures this term, with Johannes Hoff Thorup now in charge at Carrow Road following the departure of David Wagner earlier in the year.

Away from his primary responsibilities at the back, the defender has even contributed one goal and two assists, with Norwich aiming to secure another top six finish in the Championship again this season.

He has operated as both a left-back and centre-back, but his main role under Thorup appears to be in the former position, where he can either get forward on the ball or tuck in to become a back three.

Doyle is calm and composed for his age, but should develop his ball-playing skills even further with Thorup this season. A year of consistent game time could prove more valuable than being a squad player for a side in the top-flight.

It's a testament to his quality as a player at such a tender age that he already has well over 100 career games already, having only recently turned 21 and having suffered from many injury issues at Leicester City last season.

In recent games, Doyle has shone. He was handed ratings of 7.3, 8.9, and 7.7 for his displays against Derby County, QPR, and Swansea City respectively. His overall average had been 7.5 prior to facing Leeds, per FotMob.

Willy Gnonto gets the better of Callum Doyle battle against Norwich City

Doyle's rating reflects the quality of performance, which has so far been extremely high. He is the highest rated player in Norwich's squad so far this season, but that was before facing Leeds.

However, Gnonto had an exceptional game at Carrow Road and gave their defence a real runaround.

Doyle's rating was a 6.9 on Tuesday night, with Gnonto putting in a Man of the Match display with an 8.5.

Gnonto is arguably at his best when he can roam free and attack the box, and has shown signs of inverting more this season, having been utilised off both flanks already.

He played with such dynamism and freedom to express himself on Tuesday, with the Italian often at the heart of most of the positive moments Leeds had from an attacking point of view.

His ability in both tight and open spaces, as well as his match-winning capabilities are why he is one of the club's best players and biggest assets.

The diminutive forward was initially signed as a winger, predominantly occupying the left. However, with Crysencio Summerville showing his best form there last season, Gnonto had to settle for the right-wing more often than not.

From there, Doyle and the other defenders struggled to pick him up, as highlighted on the goal from a central area.

He has yet to start a game as a central attacking midfielder, but his movement means that it matters not - Gnonto has the individual brilliance required to generate chances and was at the heart of everything good Leeds did.

Doyle will have much easier games for Norwich than facing the 20-year-old, who looks like he has taken the on the mantle from Summerville and Georginio Rutter as Leeds' main man.