Leeds United will feel aggrieved that they did not claim victory yesterday, having led against Newcastle United and missed a penalty at 1-0.

However, claiming a solid point in what ended in a 2-2 draw will go a long way towards ensuring Premier League safety.

Having narrowly lost in a battling display against Manchester City previously too, it is already clear the difference that Sam Allardyce has made to a Whites side that seemed to be cruising towards relegation.

The experienced 68-year-old shocked many with his team selection in that later draw with Eddie Howe’s men, dropping Wilfried Gnonto and Adam Forshaw in favour of Rodrigo and Sam Greenwood,

Whilst many expected the Spaniard to return, given he has arguably been a lone consistent performer as the top scorer for the Yorkshire outfit, the inclusion of the 21-year-old was a surprise.

Especially considering he had started just two league games beforehand, having only recorded a goal contribution in two of his 16 appearances.

Few would have predicted a stellar return to senior football for the former Sunderland youngster, however, he arguably fell even below those non-existent expectations in a showing that should mark his first and last start of 2023.

How did Sam Greenwood play vs Newcastle?

To sum up just how poor the 5 foot 11 midfielder was on the day, Allardyce saw fit to cut short his failed experiment at half time, replacing him with Forshaw.

Across those 45 minutes on the field, Greenwood put in such a horrid and anonymous display that it was clear to see why this decision was undertaken.

Touching the ball on just 20 occasions, fewer times than his goalkeeper Joel Robles (38), the dud managed to complete two passes of the eight he attempted at a 25% pass accuracy, via Sofascore.

Such frequent possession loss was outlined in a further two failed long balls and two incomplete crosses, as the quiet £30k-per-week youngster was also dribbled past twice too.

With pundit Noel Whelan having once branded his set-piece prowess as a “weapon”, this lack of creativity was especially disappointing.

Such consistent misery culminated in a 6.4 rating, a dramatic downturn from his already underwhelming 6.74 average for the campaign.

Having been handed a golden opportunity to endear himself to the new manager and the fanbase, as a catalyst to push them one step closer to safety, instead Greenwood has further proved why he is not yet ready for regular first-team action. As such, this was a failed experiment that does not need repeating as Leeds enter a crucial final two games of the season.