Leeds’ last-gasp goal clinches survival in nervous scramble
Raphinha 56 pen, Harrison 90+4 Att: 16,957 1 2
Leeds United, as their jubilant supporters insisted, are marching on together for another season in the Premier League. It might have been at the 11th hour, it might have been against a Brentford team reduced to nine men, but never mind.
A scrambled, stressful season was forgotten in an explosion of delight when Jack Harrison’s deflected finish in injury time delivered the three points that confirmed top-flight retention. Rarely has hanging on been celebrated with such gusto. After the final whistle, Leeds’s Brazilian playmaker Raphinha, who had opened the scoring with a smartly taken penalty, crawled the length of the pitch on his knees in a bizarre demonstration of relief.
“I believed we were going to do this,” said the delighted Leeds manager, Jesse Marsch.
This had been a season to fray the nerves, to test the faith. There was not much sympathy from the Brentford followers, either: “Leeds are falling apart again,” they chanted. As an observation, it seemed prescient.
After only 11 seconds Leeds conceded a corner after Diego Llorente’s attempted clearance was intercepted by Ivan Toney. Sam Greenwood then blasted a shot so far over the bar it almost landed on the M4 before Ilan Meslier let a simple pick-up slip under his hands.
But this was the last day of the season, when news filtering from the stands can alter everything. Just after the Leeds end had roared out the news that Newcastle had taken the lead at Burnley, Harrison found Joe Gelhardt. His precise shot had everyone of a Leeds persuasion, from Marsch on the touchline to the club owner Andrea Radrizzani in the directors’ box, bouncing. The joy did not last. Var confirmed the forward’s shoulder was offside.
And the fear continued for the Leeds hordes that Brentford only needed to get their act together for trouble to ensue. Ominously, Brentford started the second half with a delightful move that carved Leeds apart. Yorkshire relief came when, after half a dozen passes, the ball arrived at Mbeumo’s feet in the Leeds box but he shot tamely into Meslier’s arms.
“It’s almost been a Band Aid project as it has been a style project,” said Marsch of the issues that have faced him since his arrival. “There is so much to do. It’s almost everything. But we have a big future because of the people involved.”
And the spirit he talks of at length
was evident when Raphinha charged into the area, was brought down by David Raya and got up to blast the resultant penalty into the corner of the net.
In response, and in an attempt to ensure Brentford’s season ended on a high, Thomas Frank brought on three of the sorts of attacking reinforcements Leeds have longed lacked. One of them, Sergi Canos, arrived at the far post to head home a cross from another replacement, Josh Dasilva.
Not that Canos lasted long: two yellow card offences saw him quickly return to the sidelines. But even Brentford being reduced to nine men when Kristoff Ajer went down injured did not ease the tension. The final 10 minutes were played out in a scurry of nerves, until Harrison fired the survival goal. And for the first time since he arrived, Marsch’s name was chanted by the Leeds fans, still mourning the departure of the man they regarded as their Messiah, Marcelo Bielsa.
Brentford (4-3-3) Raya 6; Ajer 6, Jansson 6, Sorensen 6 (Baptiste 70), Henry 6 (Canos 63); Jensen 6 (Dasilva 58), Eriksen 6, Janelt 5; Wissa 5, Toney 5, Mbeumo 6. Fernandez, Onyeka, Jeanvier, Roerslev, Stevens, Youngcoombs. Booked Raya, Toney, Canos. Sent off Canos.
Leeds United (4-1-4-1) Meslier 7; Koch 6, Llorente 5, Cooper 5, Firpo 5; Phillips 7; Raphinha 7, Greenwood 6 (Klich), Rodrigo 5, Harrison 8; Gelhardt 6 (Struijk 70).
Subs Klaesson, Roberts, Bate, Hjelde, Cresswell, Shackleton, Gray. Booked Phillips.
Referee Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
enough. We need to be better than we have been and we’ve got our just rewards by not doing enough. We have had too many sloppy moments and not won enough matches.”
Newcastle were relegation rivals for Burnley when Eddie Howe took over but finish 11th. For Howe there were mixed emotions. He thanked his players for an excellent second half of the season, but had also sent down his former club.
“It was difficult for me as I have an attachment to the club and it hurts seeing the club relegated – I know the emotions that come with it,” said Howe, who saw Joelinton carried off with a deep laceration to his ankle.
Newcastle were given a huge helping hand with their opener, with Nathan Collins needlessly punching the ball from a corner, with Wilson scoring from the penalty spot for his first goal since returning from a calf injury.
Collins was playing at right-back for the first time this season and his head went after the penalty. He almost scored an own goal when a clearance went in the wrong direction, and it was a surprise that Connor Roberts was taken off instead of him.
“Nathan is devastated but I won’t criticise him,” said Jackson. “I am sure I’ll see him in the future going from strength to strength. I won’t blame him.”
Wilson’s second came from Collins’s
flank, with Allan Saint-maximin’s assist threaded through three Burnley defenders to allow his team-mate to tap home.
“Good luck in the Championship,” chanted the Newcastle supporters. Burnley got back in the game through Cornet, volleying powerfully into the bottom corner after Martin Dubravka saved his initial effort. But it was not enough despite late surges forward.
Burnley (4-4-2) Pope 6; Collins 4, Tarkowski 5, Long 5, Taylor 5; Roberts 5 (Weghorst 45), Brownhill 6 (Lennon 73), Cork 5, Mcneil 6; Cornet 7, Barnes 6. Subs Hennessey (g), Weghorst, Stephens, Bardsley, Thomas, Dodgson, Costelloe, Mcglynn. Booked Tarkowski.
Newcastle (4-3-3) Dubravka 6; Trippier 6, Lascelles 6, Burn 6, Targett 7; Longstaff 6, Bruno 7, Joelinton 6 (Murphy 11); Almiron 6 (Ritchie 89), Wilson 7, Saint-maximin 7 (Wood 72). Subs Darlow (g), Dummett, Schar, Ritchie, Krafth, Fernandez, Gayle.
Referee Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire).