FIVE-STAR MARRIOTT
Pair of Jacks enough to sink sorry Leeds
FRANK LAMPARD is heading back to Wembley after Derby pulled off a stunning comeback to break Leeds’ hearts.
County looked dead and buried when Stuart Dallas opened the scoring to put Leeds 2-0 up on aggregate.
But Lampard’s Rams showed the kind of determination he demonstrated as a player.
Bringing on Jack Marriott proved pure genius – he levelled before half-time with his first touch and scored a late winner.
For Lampard, reaching the play-off final in his first season as a coach is a tremendous achievement.
For Marcelo Bielsa there will be doubts over whether he wants to carry on for a second season in the Championship with his 64th birthday looming.
For Leeds there was despair, their 15-year exile from the Premier League continuing.
After a bright start by Derby, Leeds breached the visitors’ defence for an eighth time this season on 24 minutes.
Patrick Bamford won a freekick on the left and when Kalvin Phillips swung the ball in, it came off the far post and Dallas knocked it home.
Leeds were in full flight and Pablo Hernandez fed Mateusz Klich, whose drive was deflected off Richard Keogh and against the bar. Derby rallied, with Mason Bennett heading against a post before Leeds threw them a lifeline. Marriott replaced Duane Holmes and seconds later scored into an empty net after Liam Cooper and Kiko Casilla made a mess of trying to clear. The tie turned on its head when the Rams scored again 40 seconds into the second half to go level on aggregate.
Keogh found Harry Wilson, who slipped in Mason Mount and he cut inside Jamie Shackleton before dinking the ball over Casilla as he slipped.
Leeds were stunned, Derby were up for the scrap. Now they were the ones pressing, harrying and forcing errors.
The pressure brought a third goal on 57 minutes when Cooper pulled back Bennett in the box to concede a penalty and Wilson slotted home.
Five minutes later Leeds were level, Dallas cutting inside to fire past Kelle Roos.
Gaetano Berardi was sent off on 78 minutes and Derby made their advantage count, Marriott finishing on 85 minutes. There was still time for Derby’s Scott Malone to pick up a second booking.