Gardner late show rocks battling Tigers
GARY GARDNER dealt Hull a crushing blow in more ways than one.
The Birmingham midfielder headed home in the 88th minute to deny the Tigers a first win since New Year’s Day and leave them deep in the relegation scrap.
But after being booked in the first half, he escaped further punishment despite a confrontation with keeper George Long.
Hull led through Josh Magennis’ second-minute strike and James Scott’s
16th-minute header. But Gardner’s thunderbolt and Dan Crowley’s header turned the game.
Hull led again through Herbie Kane’s free-kick and looked to be heading for three points until Gardner’s header.
The Tigers made a blistering start and Magennis nodded Callum Elder’s free-kick home from close range.
And they doubled their lead when Scott stopped to head home Magennis’ cross.
It was a different story after the break, though, as Gardner’s
25-yarder ripped into the bottom corner in the 47th minute.
And substitute Jeremie Bela crossed for Crowley to head home on the hour.
Kane’s free-kick crept under the wall but Gardner’s late header silenced Hull’s celebrations.
Blues boss Pep Clotet said: “We were dead and buried but they didn’t bury us far and we came back to life. We showed huge pride to get something from the game.”
Hull boss Grant McCann admitted Gardner’s late blow made it feel like a defeat. “It does, to be fair – for how good we were first half, we were the polar opposite in the second,” he said.
IT WILL take more blood and gallons of sweat but the Premier League is within touching distance for Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.
Goals from Patrick Bamford, Ezgjan Alioski and Jack Harrison secured a comfortable victory, the true value of which will not be known until next month.
Leeds fans were putting it around the £170million mark – the price of promotion back to football’s promised land.
It has been 16 years since this famous old club last graced the top flight – but this potentially season-defining success fired them 10 points clear of Fulham and three points ahead of West Brom in second place.
Fulham were the better side during the first half. But Bielsa made a double substitution at half-time which swung the match, taking off Bamford and Helder Costa for Alioski and master craftsman Pablo Hernandez.
The Leeds boss said: “Patrick made a big effort in the first half but we didn’t press.
“When we recovered the ball in the second half Pablo gave many options to our team with his accurate passing.”
Leeds are bidding to honour the memory of club legends Norman Hunter and Trevor
Cherry with promotion, their passing in April.
Bielsa said: “That was part of the match today as well. The win was necessary for us.”
With seven games remaining, it would take a monumental meltdown for Leeds to not go up.
They led when winger Costa fired a dangerous low cross and Bamford swept home his 14th goal of the season.
In the 56th minute Alioski drilled a low left-foot shot into the far corner, before Hernandez’s brilliant first-time pass in the 71st minute sent Harrison free to beat Marek Rodak at his near post.
Fulham boss Scott Parker refused to comment on a secondminute challenge by Aleksandar Mitrovic which saw the Serbian after striker catch Ben White late with an elbow to the face.
There are fears Mitrovic could face retrospective action from the FA but Parker said: “I didn’t see it as an issue. It would be unfair to comment on that.”
Fulham’s automatic promotion hopes appear over but Parker added: “I wouldn’t write it off.
“We are in a world where the unexpected can happen.”