Leeds grabs 3-2 victory over Crewe Alexandra
By: j | March 21st, 2009While it was far from a classic performance, Leeds returns home with a 3-2 victory over Crewe Alexandra. The much needed victory allows the Whites to maintain their fifth place position and puts them squarely in-line for the playoff battle.
With Jermaine Beckford in the sin-bin, it is came to no surprise that Liam Dickinson was started upfront alongside Luciano Becchio. However Bradley Johnson lost his spot to Neil Kilkenny Bradley Johnson for Neil Kilkenny with Jonathan Douglas returning to the starting eleven giving indication how Simon Grayson would treat Guðjón Þórðarson’s tactical 3-4-3 plan. Effectively after a number of fine jousts the direction the match was heading with a debatable red-card for the host’s Billy Jones eighteen minutes in. Following a foul call on the Crewe defender and a resulting confrontation with Robert Snodgrass he was shown a yellow but the situation took another turn where it appears the referee changed the course of the match by showing him a second yellow for dissent. Unfortunately this likely could have been dealt differently at the onset and the situation diffused without spoiling the balance of the match. However with the man advantage, Leeds took control quickly and sent in three goals prior to the break. Three minutes before the half hour Neil Kilkenny powered the ball to the back of the net from the edge of the box and moments later young Scot Robert Snodgrass crossed for the Argentine maestro Luciano to head home. Running rampant the young Scot added a goal of his own two minutes later and all of a sudden Leeds was coasting, or at least it seemed, with a 3-0 margin. After the break Guðjón Þórðarson’s side came out with intent and was within a whisper of grabbing a point. On the hour Iceland’s brilliant young midfielder, on-loan from Reading, Gylfi Sigurðsson sent in a cross that Julien Baudet nodded in. Down by one, the man disadvantage meant little to the hungry home side and the they brought the match to within one with seventeen minutes remaining as Tom Pope headed in the ball from close range. The hearty Railwaymen supporters cheered their side on and were nearly rewarded with a draw as Gylfi Sigurðsson’s free-kick in added time was held back by ‘keeper Casper Ankergren to give Leeds the 3-2 victory.
Leeds return to play next Saturday in a crucial match against MK Dons.
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Comments
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It is me again.
First off, I like your site because you have something intelligent to say although sometimes you rush it and sometimes you don’t completely speak your mind. I would hope that anyone who participates in this blog has something constructive to say even if the opinion is the opposite so long as it is supported. So often sport blogs are just one fool slamming another.
What bothered me about today, other than obvious fact that the defence is still very suspect, especially when a sub is needed, is that the team with the extra man could not keep its form and determination and keep up the assault. That is always the problem when the game starts to get lopsided but it is up to the coaching staff to ensure that they do. Anyone who didn’t should have come off. The same is true when a team backs up and goes into a defensive mode. Someone on the sidelines has to shake them out of it. If this team wants to advance, they have to mature and get disciplined. And get another defender.Posted from
Canada
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Thank you for your comments – its always nice to have you join in.
I respect your opinion and to be honest I don’t think Leeds is playing to their ability as much as playing under the new managers vision. That is the problem of replacing a team in a promotion fight mid-year because the existing talent base isn’t being utilized to their ability.
As far as my posts I thought I was fairly obvious but I appreciate your commentary and maybe I should be more obvious although I do want balance a honest reporting of the match given that many readers are not familiar with League One.
However as it relates to Leeds, in my opinion they don’t necessarily need a different defender but a different vision to defending. They are remarkably predictable and will need to make significant changes if they do win promotion, which of-course is far from guaranteed.
Posted from
Bulgaria
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