Leeds leaps into premier league top 10

LEEDS, England: Leeds United’s Jack Harrison scored early before striker Patrick Bamford reached the 100 goals milestone to lift the Yorkshire side into the top half of the Premier League with a 20 victory over Crystal Palace yesterday.

It was a first home win this year for Leeds, which has still lost more games than it has won at Elland Road this season, and nudged it up to 10th on 32 points from 22 games.

Palace, which won its last away game at Newcastle United but had to do without injured talisman Wilfried Zaha, remains in 13th place, three points behind Leeds having played a game more.

Harrison’s opener came after 150 seconds, with a shot that took a slight deflection off Palace’s Gary Cahill and looped high into the net, leaving goalkeeper Vicente Guaita caught out.

Harrison was set up by Stuart Dallas outside the box and he fired off a powerful strike — his third goal in his last four league games — that immediately put Palace on the back foot.

Leeds’ dominance should have been better reflected in the scoreline, but the home side doubled its lead early in the second half after Guaita got a hand to Rafinha’s thunderous shot, only to tee up Bamford for an easy tuck away.

The 27yearold striker has played at nine clubs and his 100 career goals include 12 in the league this season.

Harrison then failed to take advantage of a defensive slip when he hit the crossbar with six minutes left.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba will be sidelined for a few weeks with a thigh injury.

Just days after being named the club’s Player of the Month for January, the inform 27yearold was forced off towards the end of the first half of Sunday’s dramatic 33 draw against Everton.

Pogba had a scan on the thigh muscle issue and United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is now expecting to be without the midfielder for much of February. — Reuters/BPA