LEEDING MAN
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 0 Monk finds another way to stifle United as Wednesday go close to a win LEEDS UNITED 0
UTD SHEFF WED LEEDS
3 4 ............. Shots on Target...........
3 4 ............. Shots off Target...........
3 3 ...............Blocked Shots ............
4 5 .....................Corners...................
9 16 .......................Fouls .....................
3 3 .....................Offsides ..................
0 2 .................Yellow Cards..............
0 0 ...................Red Cards ................
72.2 65.9........ Passing Success .....
68 50.................Duels Won .............
57.6 42.4 ....... Duel Success %......
20 17 .....................Tackles ................. 76.5......... Tackles Won %...... 45.0 43.1 ..............Possession .........56.9
39.6 60.4 .......Territorial Adv%
385 287 .............Total Passes .........
13 17 ...............Total Crosses ............
162 156 ............... Lost Balls.............
61 59 ................Recoveries............... 41.5 ........... 1st Half Poss......... 58.5
55.2 44.8 ......... 2nd Half Poss........
GARRY MONK must be one of the only managers to enjoy facing Leeds United.
The Sheffield Wednesday boss got the better of his former club twice last season when in charge of Birmingham.
And he can count himself unlucky not to have made it a third success yesterday in a Yorkshire derby to forget at Hillsborough.
Both sides had chances to win it, with Wednesday’s Steven Fletcher cracking the crossbar before Ezgjan Alioski hit the post late on for Leeds.
Although the stalemate meant a chance missed for either team to close the gap on leaders West Brom, it was Monk (right) who was happier.
“I am proud of that performance,” he said. “Leeds are going to be up there come the end of the season and have been together for two years, we have been together just eight weeks but there was only one team who deserved to win that. I beat Leeds twice last season and we should have won again here. I feel like I know how to affect Leeds.
“I was very pleased with that performance. We created the best chances and were very unlucky not to take all three points.”
This game between the two rivals had all the hallmarks of a cracking derby. However, a fixture that normally produces goals and flashpoints failed to live up to its billing.
Leeds keeper Kiko Casilla was the busier of the two in the first half, saving well on 14 minutes to push away Liam Palmer’s fierce drive.
He then got his fingertips to a Fletcher effort from 20 yards on the stroke of half- time. Owls stopper Keiren Westwood then showed that anything the Spaniard could do he could do better when, just seconds later, he somehow get his hand to Patrick Bamford’s header.
Fletcher was even closer after the restart when his first-time effort after a driving run from l ef t - b a c k
Morgan Fox came back off the bar.
Leeds could have won it 10 minutes from time. Excellent work down the left by substitute Eddie Nketiah saw him get to the byline and his pull-back found Jack Harrison in space but his shot was blocked on the line by Fox.
Seconds later Kalvin Phillips’ cross was met by Alioski but his hanging header hit the post.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa said: “It was an even match with both sides having the ball and both creating chances.
“I feel the result is fair. We could have lost this just as easy as we could have won it.”