Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)

WHITES TY UP THE TOP SPOT Teenager’s strike enough to see off Tigers

- BY SIMON BIRD

TYLER ROBERTS sent dominant Leeds back to the top of the Championsh­ip.

The young Wales striker fired home a brilliant solo effort from 22 yards to break Hull’s resistance.

Roberts is finding his scoring touch after being plagued by injury since he joined United from West Brom in January.

He struck in the 51st minute to give the Whites full reward for playing keep ball and starving the Tigers of chances.

It was a welcome return to winning ways for Leeds, who collected only a point from their previous two games.

Boss Marcelo Bielsa (below) named an unchanged line-up for the fifth game in a row hoping for a more ruthless performanc­e.

While not cashing in on their superiorit­y in possession, they look set for a sturdy promotion challenge.

Leeds were mobile and slick but lacked width, not that they needed it in creating their best chances of the first half.

After the break,

Leeds visibly stepped up their intensity and squeezed the life out of the home side.

Chances came and went before the winner.

Kalvin Phillips drove a ball through the middle, which

Roberts nudged on for Ezgjan Alioski to fire wide when clear on goal. Luke Ayling then flipped a close-range header over.

A sparrowhaw­k surveyed the match from the top of the KCOM stadium, but the game was lacking in killer instinct.

Perhaps understand­ably for Leeds, who were missing three strikers injured including top scorer Kemar Roofe.

Barry Douglas failed to hit a gaping goal, scooping over Alioski’s cross just before the break. But Roberts, just 19, finally put his stamp on the game, adding to the double he got against Preston last month.

Hull competed well and had spirit, but not the guile to find a goal. They went close late on through subs Nouha Dicko and Fraizer Campbell, yet it proved only a minor scare for Leeds.

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 ??  ?? IT’S ROB JOY Roberts is the toast of his team-mates after netting winner
IT’S ROB JOY Roberts is the toast of his team-mates after netting winner

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