19th January 2025. EFL Championship
Once again Leeds did exactly what was expected of them today; get the three points and move on. Once again we faced a stubborn, defensively minded team, and one that continued this ridiculous trend of wasting time even though they were a goal down! The idea being, I guess, that the less time the ball is in play the less time there is for us to hurt them further while they gamble on one or two half-chances coming their way at some point!
The early goal probably ensured they played that way. It was our first real attack of the game. Joe Rothwell cut inside from the left near halfway and sent a ball through the middle for Brenden Aaronson to chase. Brenden didn’t quite get there so James Beadle, the Owls’ keeper, came out and got hands on the ball but failed to hold onto it and it got away, straight to Manor Solomon, following up. Manor shifted the ball to his right to get clear of Beadle and then rifled a shot between two defenders trying to protect the goal line. A great start.
Wednesday didn’t crumble though. In fact, for the rest of the first half they gave pretty much as good as they got, albeit from a lesser share of the possession. All eyes were on Illan Meslier inevitably too and he looked uncertain early in the game, particularly from the first Wednesday corner. Taken from the Wednesday left, Meslier tried to punch the ball away but missed it and then, in the ensuing panic, Josh Windass reacted quickest to strike at goal. Fortunately, Ao Tanaka was in the way and the ball cannoned off the back of his calves. We just do not seem able to get to grips with defending corners. Surely it has to start with a confident keeper attacking AND reaching the ball.
Then a simple ball through the middle of the Leeds defence almost undid us. It was Windass again who was quickly onto it but he took an extra touch and Ethan Ampadu lunged in to block the shot. Another Wednesday break, this time down their right side, saw the ball cut back and Yan Valery shot narrowly wide, with Meslier again scrambling to get there. The best Leeds could manage was a left-footer from Dan James that Beadle got down to well in front of the left post. Yes, there wasn’t much between the two sides apart from that early Solomon goal.
The second half continued in a similar vein; Leeds having more of the ball but neither side creating more than an odd sight of goal. Gassama for the Owls saw Meslier make a decent save, very similar to the one Beadle pulled off against Dan James earlier, but it was yet another sight of goal for the visitors. Ao Tanaka rifled a shot over the bar but at the other end another Wednesday corner had Leeds scrambling again. This time a front post header was allowed to fly right across Meslier’s goal with Illan again no more than a bystander. The worry has to be that a better side than Wednesday will make more of such situations.
Farke made his first trade-mark substitutions in the 70th minute, bringing on Mateo Joseph and Ilia Gruev for Piroe and Rothwell. Joseph again put in a shift but didn’t ever look like getting that goal which his confidence desperately needs – I think all Leeds fans believe we’d see a different Mat Joseph if he could only get that next goal. Ilia did what Ilia has always done, everything neat and tidy but unlikely to play much of a part in unlocking a stubborn defence. But it was Farke’s second tranche of subs that finally closed out the game as on came the tricky Ramazani and the fresh legs of Willy Gnonto for the two starter wingers, Dan James and Manor Solomon. It was Ramazani who stole the show and, for me, earned a Man of the Match accolade despite only being on the pitch for 14 minutes!
In the 88th minute, Jayden Bogle went marauding down the right, cut the ball back, and Largie did his stuff. Surrounded by defenders, he twisted one way and then another before turning and striking the ball back towards the right of goal when he was facing the left; he instinctively knew where the posts were, they don’t move of course! The ball travelled through a crowd of players and nestled in that right corner of the net. The relief around Elland Road was palpable; all the while we only held that slender one-goal lead, we all knew the afternoon could quickly go wrong! Perhaps it was the fact of that relief that meant Leeds finally cut loose, but more likely it was the free-spirit that is Largie Ramazani that was the catalyst for success. With added time almost over, Leeds won their 9th corner of the game; Wednesday managed only six but typically made more of theirs…until now. This time the corner was swung in by the left foot of Ilia Gruev. It was met by Mateo Joseph but somehow he ended up heading it away from goal, back towards the edge of the box. Whether that was intentional, a training ground ploy maybe, we’ll never know. Anyway, our man Largie was lurking there in acres of space and he watched it fall straight onto his left boot and he volleyed it low though the crowded area. It was probably heading just outside the right post but, lurking there, was Ao Tanaka, being played on by a sluggish defender. Ao, back to goal, cleverly let the ball strike his left foot and the ball diverted perfectly into the opposite corner! It was an intelligent, aware piece of instinctive thinking.
3 – 0 will go into the record books but, to be fair, that was harsh on the Owls although, with Largie on the pitch, you have to say we are always likely to score; it’s a debate as to whether he should be starting the games, but ‘who to leave out?’ is the difficult part of that conundrum.
So, back to the top of the table we go and, in the process, we’ve again stretched our lead over Burnley and Sunderland by two points, the two of them having drawn on Friday night. Three points is now our lead over the crafty Clarets and, of course we go to Turf Moor in just over a week’s time!
The next challenge comes up quickly though, Wednesday night, when Norwich come to town. I’d expect a very similar challenge from the Canaries who sit next to the Owls in mid-table with a very similar record. As always, with so little between the top four, it feels like we are still only one defeat away from a calamity! It’s going to be tense for at least a few weeks yet folks!
Sky Bet Championship
Leeds United 3 (Solomon 3’, Ramazani 88’, Tanaka 90+6’)
Sheffield Wednesday 0
Leeds: Meslier (GK), Bogle, Ampadu (C), Rodon, James (Gnonto 83’), Rothwell (Gruev 69’), Piroe (Joseph 69’), Aaronson (Guilavogui 89’), Solomon (Ramazani 83’), Tanaka, Byram. Subs not used: Darlow (GK), Firpo, Schmidt, Wöber.
Sheff Weds: Beadle (GK), Lowe, Bernard, Ingelsson (Johnson 54’), Bannan (C), Windass (Ugbo 79’), Ihiekwe (Valentin 71’), Valery, Gassama, Charles, Musaba (Paterson 79’). Subs not used: Charles (GK), Palmer, J. Lowe, Kobacki, Otegbayo.
Venue: Elland Road
Attendance: 36,685 (2,847)
Referee: David Webb
Booked: Bogle (Leeds) Charlies, Bernard (Sheff Weds)