Whites maintain winning streak.
Sky Bet Championship
Burton Albion 1 (Naylor 29) Leeds United 2 (Hernandez 61, Roofe 64)
Leeds United came from behind to win a league match for the first time since November 2016, defeating Burton Albion 2-1 at the Pirelli Stadium.
The Whites looked to continue their winning run of three games in the Boxing Day fixture that has seen them rise to 5th in the Championship table and made one change with Eunan O’Kane coming in for Kalvin Phillips, who was named amongst the substitutes.
Leeds attacked their fans in the packed away end in the first half and made a bright start, Pablo Hernandez's through ball for Ezgjan Alioski, but Stephen Bywater was alert and managed to get there first.
Burton’s Jamie Allen then had the first shot of the game, but he could only fire wide on nine minutes.
It was then United’s turn to attack the Burton goal with Kemar Roofe latched onto Luke Ayling’s through ball, but he could only fire wide from the edge of the box
Burton again threatened when Sean Scannell found Tom Flanagan, but he could only shoot wide from 20 yards.
Leeds then had their best chance of the opening period when Alioski fed on a high ball from Burton Albion captain Jake Buxton, but his volley went wide of the post.
It was the Whites who again went close after good work from Pawel Cibicki whose cross found Pablo Hernandez but the goal-scoring hero from last Saturday failed to get a decent connection.
Eunan O’Kane’s then put a lovely through ball into the box, Kemar Roofe controlled superbly on his chest, but could only fire wide, across goal.
Against the run of play, Burton took the lead, when Lucas Akins’ shot across goal, was poked in at the back post by Tom Naylor.
The home side could have gone further ahead before the break, following a counter at a Leeds free-kick, but Jamie Allen screwed his shot across the face of Wiedwald’s goal.
Half time Burton Albion 1-0 Leeds United
After the break Marvin Sordell came close to making it two when he shot on the turn, with his effort going just inches wide.
However it was Leeds who hit back, just after the hour mark, Roofe won Leeds a free-kick 25 yards from goal, and Pablo Hernandez superbly curled in over the wall giving Bywater no chance.
Three minutes later, Leeds then took the lead, when a wonderful through ball from Ronaldo Vieira found Roofe and he brilliantly found the back of net to send the away fans into celebration.
Alioski then tried to add a third goal, when he tried his luck from a long way out but his effort went over the bar.
At the other end, Allen fired a volley at the Leeds goal, forcing Wiedwald into a decent stop.
Roofe almost made the game safe, when a mistake from Buxton allowed him to break, he cut inside superbly, but his effort deflected just wide.
The fourth official signalled six minutes of stoppage time during which the Whites then survived an almighty scare when after a goal mouth scramble saw the ball eventually bobble wide, as United held on for a fourth successive win.
Full Time: Burton Albion 1-2 Leeds United
Burton: Bywater, Brayford, Allen, Turner, Scannell (Miller 87), Akins, Dyer, Flanagan, Naylor, Sordell, Buxton: Subs not used: Ripley, Warnock, McFadzean, Palmer, Akpan, Sbarra
Leeds: Wiedwald, Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, Berardi, Vieira (Phillips 77) O’Kane Cibicki (Lassoga 75), Hernandez, Alioski (Pennington 90), Roofe, Subs not used: Lonergan, Anita, Grot, Shaughnessy
Referee: Darren Bond
Booked: Naylor, Flanagan (Burton Albion) Berardi, Cooper (Leeds United)
Venue: Pirelli Stadium
Attendance: 5,612