Leeds survive Orient surge
Leeds 1 Orient 1
Dennis Wise may have been involved in a few heated exchanges with officials over the years, but one thing’s for sure, there was no such hostilities at Elland Road yesterday. In fact, referee Nigel Miller may have just earned his place on the Leeds manager’s Christmas card list after a string of questionable decisions helped preserve the home side’s unbeaten record to the fury of Leyton Orient.
Miller first sent off key man Sean Thornton in questionable circumstances, then awarded a dubious penalty. Finally he denied Orient’s Adam Boyd what appeared to be a deserved match winner. Make no mistake Leeds were lucky to escape with a point.
Leeds may well have fallen from the grace of the Premier League to the relative obscurity of League One but the run that Wise’s men have put together this season has banished most of the negativity that hung around Elland Road through the summer.
After a spectacular start to their season, Orient’s star has burned out with four defeats in the last five games, so it could be said that their league position is no reflection of current form.
The opening minutes at Elland Road yesterday were spoilt for the home fans when Jason Demetriou came to earth following a Frazer Richardson tackle. Already incensed by what they saw as a dive by the winger, home fans were positively incandescent when Thornton’s excellent free-kick curled away from Casper Ankergren’s grasp and into the net. Just eight minutes on the road and the careering Leeds United truck had suffered a major puncture.
The gap between back line and midfield which often proved Leeds’ undoing last season, surfaced again, Adam Chambers, Wayne Gray and more pertinently Thornton, looked full of devilment. That Wise has pumped up his team’s enthusiasms and confidence is positive, but occasionally that brims over into naked aggression and the thread of the game is lost.
On 25 minutes Demetriou nearly made it two when he slipped the flailing Richardson and put in an angled banana shot which deflected off the right upright. The 32nd minute saw the dismissal of Thornton for elbowing Seb Carole. It looked innocuous from the stands but Miller had no prevarication on the issue.
Orient boss Martin Ling opted to keep two upfront but sent his midfield down to three. Refreshingly positive, but was it shrewd? On the cusp of half time Leeds worked their first serious opening and it fell to Carole. His header seemed to be goalward bound but Tamika Mkandawire was the epitome of cool as his controlled header on the line restored equilibrium.
A scintillating drive from Jamie Clapham produced an equally brilliant piece of play from keeper Stuart Nelson before an error from Alton Thelwell on 55 minutes eventually cost Orient their lead. He let the ball run for what he thought was a goal kick, unaware of an Orient touch on the ball. Thompson’s sneakily taken corner for Carole caught Orient unawares and the player who was by then pulling all the strings picked his spot in a crowded goal with impressive precision. One-one, but from the full throated cry of almost 30,000 voices you would have thought the title had been won.
Andy Hughes, after a quiet start, was figuring more and Prutton almost kneed home his penetrating ground pass. Leeds pressure was immense, but Paul Terry, older brother of the England captain John, was formidable in defence along with the unflappable Mkandawire.
As an attacking force the Londoners looked spent apart from Charlie Daniels’ forays down the left and Jabo Ibehre’s ability to chase and hold. Ten minutes from time Terry’s tackle on Carole was miscalculated, he brought Carole to ground just inside the box and looked inconsolable at the penalty award. He need not have worried. Tresor Kandol’s penalty was one of the poorest attempts seen at Elland Road for some time. The final minutes were full of drama but today it was not of Leeds’ making. Their defence stood off Alan Boyd as he closed in on goal. His shot was pulled down by Ankergren but appeared to run over the line before he clawed it back. To Orient players’ amazement, no goal was awarded. Shortly afterwards a Daniels’ free kick grazed Ankergren’s knuckles as he beat out a certain goal.
Star man: Seb Carole (Leeds)
Player ratings:
Leeds: Ankergren 6, Richardson 5, Marques 5, Heath 6, Clapham 6 (De Vries 76min), Prutton 6 (Da Costa 77min), Hughes 7, Thompson 6 (Westlake 58min), Carole 7, Beckford 6, Kandol 6
Leyton Orient: Nelson 6, Purches 5, Thelwell 6, Mkandawire 7, Chambers 7, Demetriou 6, Daniels 7, Thornton 6, Terry 6, Gray 6 (Ibahre 67min), Boyd 6
Scorers: Leeds: Carole 55 Leyton Orient: Thornton 9
Referee: N Miller
Sunday Times
