By the final whistle half the pitch was cast in chill shadow and the remainder illuminated by bright April sunshine.
On the day that Leeds broke the all important 40-point barrier and Sheffield United took another, inexorable, step towards the Championship it seemed thoroughly emblematic of the contrasting fortunes of these Yorkshire rivals.
Yet if it ultimately proved an unhappy return to Elland Road for Leeds’s former manager Paul Heckingbottom, Marcelo Bielsa’s predecessor was entitled to feel his side were a little unlucky not to collect a point after a marked second half improvement. Indeed only Illan Meslier’s late fingertip save came between Oliver Burke and a goal after the Blades weathered an awkward start to force Leeds into semi-retreat.
Bielsa’s players warmed up wearing tops emblazoned with “no7” on the back and “RIP Peter Hotshot Lorimer” on the front. It was exactly two weeks since the club record goalscorer’s death in a Yorkshire hospice and, appropriately, Leeds began in the sort of front foot mode which Lorimer, until fairly recently an Elland Road regular, would have fully approved of.
They were ahead in the 12th minute courtesy of Jack Harrison’s seventh goal of the season. The opposite of a high velocity Lorimer-esque rocket into the top corner, Harrison’s simple tap-in arrived thanks to an amalgam of Raphinha’s wonderful close control and Patrick Bamford’s clever decoy manoeuvres in the box.
When Tyler Robert’s pass found Raphinha wide on the right the ball seemed super-glued to the winger’s feet as bypassed Enda Stevens before rolling the ball across the six yard box for Harrison to apply the final touch.
As Sheffield United’s defenders blamed each other for being pulled out of position by Bamford, Raphinha had once again underlined his credentials as a leading candidate for signing of the season.
If there is an inquest at Rennes as to how they “undersold” the supremely gifted Brazilian for a mere £17m, the telepathy between Raphinha and Bamford has been integral to Leeds’s progress this season.
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So too, has been the dynamism and diligence with which Bielsa’s players close down opponents and Heckingbottom’s team were far from the first to feel suffocated by the characteristically impressive Kalvin Phillips and company.
With Phillips controlling midfield, Meslier was barely involved until conceding the equaliser on the brink of half-time. Perhaps proving he is not perfect of all Raphinha lost concentration along with possession, prefacing the way for John Fleck to create, Oli McBurnie to shoot, Meslier to parry and Ben Osborn to lash the ball home. At first it looked as if Luke Ayling had cleared it off the line but goal line technology proved it had crossed it and Heckingbottom’s players celebrated.
If Leeds had only themselves to blame for conceding they were rightly aggrieved at the earlier failure of Graham Scott to referee to send off George Baldock in the wake of an awful, two-footed, thoroughly reckless, challenge on Roberts. Baldock was not even booked but an injury sustained during that wince-inducing clash dictated he departed, injured, before the interval.
The fallout from Baldock’s tackle saw Aaron Ramsdale save brilliantly from Harrison but Heckingbottom’s goalkeeper proved powerless to prevent Phil Jagielka turning the ball into his own net as he endeavoured to prevent Harrison’s cross reaching the waiting Raphinha.
Creditably Sheffield United rallied, belying their place at the bottom of the table by finally forcing an Leeds side now on 42 points into self doubt. If Bamford looked distinctly unimpressed at being replaced by Rodrigo, Heckingottom’s best defender, John Egan, was all smiles as he marked his comeback from injury by stepping off the visiting bench. Egan should not be short of Premier League suitors next season.
from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3sNPpdz
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