After a 2-0 victory over local rivals Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds returned to the top of the promotion rankings.
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On Wednesday, the opportunity for the Owls to move out of the relegation zone for the first time since August was missed, despite winning five out of their last six matches in the league. Their four-game winning streak came to an end. In February, they were eight points behind the safety line after a 4-0 loss to Huddersfield, while the deficit was 12 points back in November.
The supporters of Wednesday may have noticed a upcoming match against a neighboring rival, Leeds, with a feeling of dread. However, following their victory against Plymouth at home on Tuesday, this much anticipated derby game cannot arrive soon enough.
The team from Leeds attempted to control the game by dominating possession in the beginning, but the home team managed to create the first opportunity to score. Anthony Musaba took advantage of a loose ball in the penalty area after a corner, but the Leeds goalkeeper made an impressive save with his legs.
Georginio Rutter made Leeds’ top attempt prior to scoring, with his lob being saved by James Beadle, the Wednesday goalkeeper who charged forward. Rutter also made a header off of Crysencio Summerville’s corner that narrowly missed the goal, as Leeds continued to push for the first point. This persistence paid off in the last minute of added time in the first half.
Junior Firpo delivered a fantastic low pass from the left side, and Bamford scored his seventh goal of the season at the far post.
At the beginning of the second half, Leeds immediately went on the attack. Rutter’s low shot put pressure on Beadle and they were able to score again in the 58th minute.
Rutter made a precise pass to Gnonto after Bamford’s clever touch, and despite the assistant referee’s raised flag, the Italian forward continued his run and scored from inside the box, beating Beadle.
Soon after, Leeds easily broke through the opposing team’s defense once again. Unfortunately for them, Beadle made a fantastic save to stop Summerville’s attempt. However, their captain Ethan Ampadu came to the rescue by clearing Michael Smith’s shot off the goal line and blocking Djeidi Gassama’s shot, as Wednesday finally showed some attack in the second half.
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Marvin Johnson, defender for the team, took a shot from 20 yards away which just missed the target. On the opposite side, Leeds substitute Connor Roberts also had a close attempt with a low shot that just missed going in, leading to the visitors’ first victory at Hillsborough since 2016.
Source: theguardian.com
