Middlesbrough 0, Leeds United 1
22 Feb 2015 11:38am, by Shields53
Middlesbrough 0, Leeds United 1 (Mowatt 3)
It would have been inconceivable just a couple of months ago that Leeds could have gone to the league leaders and come away with a result. Our poor form last year is was still reflected in the sports betting odds coming into the game with Leeds 6-1 for the win and Mowatt to score the only goal in a one nil victory 100-1 with Titanbet. But that is exactly what we did, after taking the lead in the third minute through Alex Mowatt Leeds held off Middlesborough for the remaining 97 minutes of the game in a heart stopping rear guard action to secure the points.
Recent matches have been about our attacking performances, particularly our young midfield breaking forward and cresting chances. Yesterdays match was all out the defence though. New captain Sol Bamba has made such a big impact since joining on loan, the defender we have needed for years. Not only putting in some fantastic challenges but marshalling the whole defence and calming things down, a true captains performance. He was slightly overshadowed by Marco Silvestri who made ten vital saves and took away the man of the match reward. Some Leeds fans may question his ability to command his box but his shot stopping prowess has never been in doubt and he made a string of saves; blocks and tips over the bar.
From one to eleven the players effort was unquestionably, the revitalised Steve Morison toiling at both ends of the pitch with clearances in defence and holding the ball up and harrying the Middlesbrough defence as the lone man up front. The sprightly Cook and Mowatt combining again to create chances and that all important goal. An outstanding result, really, really hard fought. Here are the views of a couple of our members;
The views of andywatson;
Put the result to one side for a moment. Not because it wasn't brilliant, it was. Before the game I though that any result would have been a good one, and 3 points was a distant dream. But the stats show a scary game which, lets be fair, Boro fans must be wondering how they lost. On the flip side we could claim the better of the (few) chances we had, and equally argue we could have won by more. Either team could have won it. That's not what was important.
What was really important was the performance. Tackles were sharp and crisp. Boro dominated midfield whilst they had possession, slicing through us pretty easily, but they were always harassed, never with much time, always slightly rushed. Leeds just kept at it, the whole match. This meant Silvestri (who was magnificent) was mainly challenged by shots from range (which are his forte) or rushed snap shots, and luckily he made the right decision every time. Bamba marshalled the defence, which was needed as Bellusci still showed some rashness and poor positioning. Both centre backs put their bodies on the line for the cause though, and protected Silvestri admirably. Wooton and Taylor shut down their flanks, and obviously beneF***ed from Bambas experience on the pitch. The back 5 are playing as a proper defensive unit for the first time in a long time. We have to sign Bamba as soon as possible, he is like a new Radebe; keeping everyone calm, collected, and just in the right place at the right time. I think the jury is still out on his defensive partner, personally I prefer Cooper but any major criticism today would be unfair.
I have already commented on how well the midfield worked without the ball. I love to see a thumping, well timed tackle in football. One that stops the player as well as the ball....... fairly. I saw plenty of those today. However, with the ball we showed we could slice open Boro just as easily as they were doing to us. It was manic. Obviously they had far more of the ball than we did, and so more opportunities. However I would say our chances were better, even if there were less. Those chances were created by slick, fast passes. I was wondering whether we need to give Hockaday some credit here? He was the first to get us playing with the ball on the ground after years of pumping it up field. Whether we do, or not, Redders has taken that pretty, if aimless-style and turned it into a fast slick rapier of penetrating sophistication. Boro had no idea where the next attack was coming from, or when. Look at the goal; 1 error, a run and a ball into space, 1-0. Great vision and decision making by Cook, pushing forwards, and brilliant bravery and commitment from Mowatt. Austin terrifies the opposition. He simply drives towards the goal and pressures people into making a mistake. Murphy, well not his day, but he had a decent game still, opening up Boro and creating havoc whenever he had the ball. Byram was similar- every time he saw the ball he did something with it, creating space or opportunities, if not clear cut chances. Nothing was aimless, it was fast and with purpose.
Morison. Well he didn't score again. But I bet he felt 10 feet tall hearing his name sung from the stands. Then again he needed to be 10 feet tall, as he was instrumental in defending those 18 corners. He shoved defenders round, opened up channels for others to run into, and never stopped running. He was excellent, but he will need to start scoring a few of his own, otherwise the questions will continue.
Oh, and don't think this was down to their 3 games in a week. They came at us like a steam train in the first hour and we matched them. They were still coming at us like a steam train in the last 10 minutes and we were still matching them.
Finally, today, I saw a performance that I was proud to call a Leeds United team.
The views of Dr.Leeds;
Very good performance all round. I don't think we rode our luck at all. Silvestri had some very good saves to make but that's not luck. That's good goalkeeping. Hopefully he's over his mid-season wobble.
Bamba looks excellent. Very much captaincy material and I'm pretty sure he'll keep the armband when Cooper returns to the side next week. It'll be a welcome return too. I love Bellusci's warrior attitude and there were some good tackles from him but he's too erratic, too easily pulled out of position and too error prone. His yellow card was daft and he's suspended again. When a consistency in a centre back partnership is so important we can't afford that. Bamba with Cooper looks an excellent prospect.
As for Morison, you have to admire his tenacity and strength yesterday. Led the line well and made some important interventions at the back too. He deserves to hit the back of the net sometime soon. Looked really slow yesterday though and there were a few points where that cost us opportunities. Midfield was brilliant when Boro had the ball.
Superb run. Great performance away at a side that look a good bet for promotion. If we can finish with this momentum, keep Redders in post and keep our talented youngsters together as a unit we will look very good for next season.
Middlesbrough Line-up:
Mejias, Nsue (Bamford 66), Kalas, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter (Forshaw 80), Clayton, Adomah, Reach (Tomlin 57), Vossen, Kike
Unused Subs: Ripley, Whitehead, Omeruo, Husband
Leeds United Line-up:
Silvestri, Wootton, Bamba, Bellusci (Cooper 90), C Taylor, Byram, Austin, Murphy, Cook, Mowatt, Morison
Unused Subs: S Taylor, Berardi, Sloth, Sharp, Cani, Antenucci