Danny Murphy loves what Donyell Malen did in Aston Villa win vs Leeds United
Donyell Malen made all the difference as Aston Villa beat Leeds United 2-1 on Sunday.
Malen stunned on international duty with the Netherlands, but was left on the bench in West Yorkshire before coming on at half-time.
Villa went on to secure a win over Leeds United, pushing them up to fourth as the superb run of form under Unai Emery continues.
Morgan Rogers scored a stunning free kick against Leeds after being set up for his first to help secure a comeback victory away to Elland Road.
Danny Murphy was left gushing over Malen after what he saw from the versatile forward after he was brought on during the interval.
Danny Murphy delighted with Donyell Malen vs Leeds United
Malen was previously superb for Villa against Burnley as he featured as a second striker alongside Ollie Watkins at Villa Park.
The Dutchman bagged a brace against the Clarets, but hasn’t been afforded that positional opportunity again since.
That changed at half-time in LS11 as Emery backed the ex-Borussia Dortmund man to make the difference against the Whites.
He did exactly that as he grabbed an assist for Rogers after just three minutes in what was a hugely positive performance off the bench.
That wasn’t lost on Murphy, who was left piling praise on the forward while speaking on Match of the Day.
He said: “It’s a brilliant impact substitution. We know Malen’s quick, and we know he wants to run in behind. He probably feels a little bit disappointed not to be starting with Watkins. Watkins was isolated in the first half, on his own with two centre halves against him.
“When they got out, there was pace and options and all of a sudden it’s game on. It really was a clever bit of management from Emery because they were flat, Leeds were comfortable.
“This is a player who wants to impress, I love when subs come on and try and impact the game, he made things happen.“
How did Malen perform for Aston Villa vs Leeds?
The 26-year-old may have featured for only 45 minutes, but made a telling impact on the result in that time.
Malen racked up 19 touches at Elland Road, but was able to make massive contributions across every area of the pitch.
The Dutchman took two shots of his own, while also creating a second chance outside of his excellent assist for Rogers’ first.
He didn’t stop there as he helped out defensively too, winning one tackle and three duels to help Villa see out a vital three points.
This sort of impact can’t be overlooked and could be set to give Emery a headache moving into clashes against Young Boys and Wolves.
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