Leeds United duo Luke Ayling and Raphinha have both registered their candidacy for Player of the Season through their performances on the pitch this season.
As the Whites took to the pitch at Anfield on the opening day, no Leeds United supporter or casual observer could have foreseen the integral role both players have had on Leeds' first campaign back in the top flight for 16 years.
That is largely down to the fact that Raphinha was not signed until almost a month into the campaign, but this speaks volumes about how fiercely effective he has been in three short months in West Yorkshire.
The same can be said of Ayling though, a Football League full-back with long, seemingly unkempt hair, who at 29 was unlikely to leave a lasting impact on the glitzy Premier League.
Leeds had only just added Robin Koch and Diego Llorente, German and Spanish internationals respectively. Ayling was fairly low down in the odds to be one of the club's top flight protagonists.
Just over halfway through the season though, Ayling and Raphinha are two of the first names on the teamsheet.
Fittingly, when Leeds United have a full bill of health, Ayling and Raphinha play on the same flank, and displayed just how well they worked together in the home tie with Everton this week.
This handy pass-map graphic from Between the Posts illustrates just how effective the pair were on the ball.
Arrows indicate passing chains; the fatter the arrow, the more often that pass was used.
The chain beginning with Pascal Struijk and ending with Raphinha, the ball taking a route via Luke Ayling, was Leeds' most fruitful attacking avenue against Everton, a game which the team arguably deserved at least a point from.
Down the right is where they threatened most, recovered possession more than any other third and attempted the most dribbles and carries with the ball.
The key on the left-hand side explains which player excelled the most in different areas. Ayling attempted the most passes, while also attempting the most progressive passing, which is a forward pass that attempts to advance a team significantly closer to the opponent's goal.
Raphinha ranked highest for Leeds' xG Chain, which is a little more complex but can be explained like this: it is the xG (Expected Goals) added together from every shot that derives from each move Raphinha was involved in.
Essentially, if Raphinha is in possession of the ball at some stage before Leeds take a shot, the xG of that shot is added to Raphinha's xG Chain total for the match.
Typically, this is the area creative players tend to rank highly in, which tallies with Raphinha's Everton performance.
Due to injuries at centre-back and Ayling's ability to fill in there, the former Bristol City man and ex-Stade Rennais winger have only played together as a right-back-right-winger pairing six times this season.
In those games, Leeds have won three, lost two and drawn once, suggesting it could well be a fruitful partnership to come.
