'Led out by a ram, played like lambs'
All eyes were on Pride Park on Saturday evening, as Leeds United got their play-off campaign off to a successful start.
Marcelo Bielsa's men arrived in Derbyshire on the back of a four-match winless streak, but a 55th minute Kemar Roofe goal ensure that the Whites will kick-off at Elland Road with a one-goal advantage over Derby County on Wednesday evening.
As is becoming the norm with these two sides, there was plenty of controversy in this first leg, not least referee Craig Pawson's decision to award and then reverse a penalty with 13 minutes to go and a flash point between Mateusz Klich and Fikayo Tomori.
The press box was packed at Pride Park and here is how the national media saw the match panning out, with more than the odd 'spygate' reference...
'A deserved advantage'
Writing in the Guardian, Paul Doyle believes Leeds will rightly take a lead into the second leg.
Leeds celebrate their winning goal
"Leeds United can almost spy the playoff final after returning from their mission to Derby with a 1-0 win. Kemar Roofe's sweetly taken goal in the 55th minute, following a gorgeous pass by Jack Harrison, gave Marcelo Bielsa's team a deserved advantage going into Wednesday's second leg at Elland Road.
"Once Leeds found their passing rhythm, they took charge.
"The visitors continually forced their hosts backwards, albeit without opening them up. Derby repelled a succession of corners but their strain became increasingly apparent. Leeds looked anything but jaded, although Adam Forshaw had to be replaced by Jamie Shackleton who, as it turned out, added extra thrust to their midfield."
'Pawson caused the most damage to the Rams'
Pawson's decision has got everyone talking
Ian Whittle of The Sunday Times focuses on referee Craig Pawson's decision not to award Derby a second half spot kick.
"Marcelo Bielsa arrived as public enemy number one in the eyes of Frank Lampard and Derby, while Kemar Roofe scored the only goal of this absorbing play-off semi-final first leg, but it was referee Craig Pawson who potentially caused the most damage to the Rams' hope of a Premier League return."
'£200,000 looks like small change now'
A 'spygate' reference from Steve Bates in the Daily Mirror...
"Spygate cost Marcelo Bielsa £200,000 from his own pocket — and that's looking like small change now.
"With Leeds closing in on a £160million Premier League windfall their Argentine coach won't care about a few grand.
"Whatever Bielsa learned from spying on Derby it was surely worth any aggravation, after Leeds beat the Rams for a third time this season."
And regarding the penalty, he writes: "Lampard was livid, but the truth is Derby did not deserve more than they got."
'Premier League return may still become reality'
Jon Culley of The Telegraph harks back to Leeds' emphatic win at Pride Park at the start of the season:
"The zest with which Marcelo Bielsa's team tore Derby apart 4-1 here in August may have seemed like a fading dream to the Leeds fans who had watched their side stumble in the final weeks of the season, yet their vision of a Premier League return after 15 years may still become reality.
"A feisty tie carrying the lingering bitterness of the 'Spygate' affair was spiced up further by the controversy of a penalty awarded and then withdrawn as Derby searched for an equaliser after Kemar Roofe's 55th-minute goal."
'Led out by a ram... played like lambs'
Lampard's men were second best
The Mail on Sunday's Ollie Holt also believed Leeds were good value for their victory.
"Leeds deserved the victory and Lampard admitted that his team had been below their best. They were led out by a ram draped in ceremonial garb but they played like lambs. They were aggrieved that defender Fikayo Tomori was headbutted in the chest by Mateusz Klich and Klich only received a yellow card but the game had turned Leeds' way by then."
He also gave his take on the penalty decision:
"Mr Pawson pointed to the spot and the home fans bayed for a red card to be shown to Harrison. But instead the referee walked over to the touchline to consult his assistant, Edward Smart, and after a long exchange, he decided to go back on his decision and award a goal kick to Leeds instead. The home crowd was incensed. It was Derby's last chance."
'Further fuel poured on Bielsa and Lampard's relationship'
The Independent also weighed on on the match's big talking point:
"The ill-tempered and combustible relationship between managers Frank Lampard and Marcelo Bielsa had further fuel poured upon it by referee Craig Pawson in a moment of high controversy at Pride Park.
"But, after consulting assistant Eddie Smart, Pawson reversed his decision, instead awarding Leeds a freekick and adding to Derby's years of frustration and misery in their attempts to win promotion in the postseason."
'Rams second best when it came to chants, too'
Dan King of The Sun picked up on one of the terrace highlights in their match report.
"S**t refs, we always get s**t refs," sang the home fans when Pawson decided to show only a yellow card to Mateusz Klich for a headbutt on Fikayo Tomori," he reports.
"But the Rams were second best when it came to chants, just as their team had been on the pitch in the second half of this first-leg play-off. Even before Leeds scored, their fans had been teasing home boss Frank Lampard about what had happened in the regular season.
Leeds United fans use Oasis as inspiration for new song about Frank Lampard
"To the tune of Oasis' Stop Crying Your Heart Out, they taunted him with a revamped version that ends, "We beat you at home, we beat you away, stop crying Frank Lampard".
"As the sun shone on their corner of the ground after the final whistle, the away faithful treated Lampard to another rendition."
