LEAVING IT LATE
Manager Neil left ‘disappointed’ after Whites rally to draw
Leeds United scramble a draw against Preston North End
PRESTON North End boss Alex Neil was left to rue a missed opportunity as his side were hit by a late Stuart Dallas leveller at Elland Road.
Dominant for half an hour and deservedly ahead through Alan Browne, the Lilywhites appeared to have survived a fearsome second-half onslaught.
But with just one minute remaining, a deflected longrange strike from Dallas left Declan Rudd stranded and earned the Whites a shares of the spoils ahead of today’s trip to Birmingham City.
In truth, it was no more than the hosts deserved for a rampant final hour that saw them notch 70 per cent possession and 17 efforts on goal. But having come so close, Neil couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
“Before the game, coming to a really difficult place, you would have accepted the result,” said Neil, whose side would have closed to within a place and six points of second-placed Leeds had they held on for victory.
“But based on the game, we’re frustrated because we did well. Our pressure in the first 30 minutes was sensational.
“The effort, the plan, how we pressurised the ball – there won’t be many teams that come here and do that to them. It was a great performance and, unfortunately, it took a deflected goal to take two points from us.”
Sensational is the word. So potently did Preston press in an electric first quarter that Leeds were utterly robbed of their typical dynamism and control.
Mistakes and hesitation were rife long before the opening goal, which sprang from a magnificent tackle by Sean Maguire on the dallying Mateusz Klich.
Ben Pearson then took possession, slipped in David Nugent and – with the home defence all over the shop – the veteran striker teed up Browne for a neat left-footed finish across Kiko Casilla. It was a scintillating counter that Leeds themselves would have been proud of. “You need to be brave and be set to stand up to them here,” added Neil. “I’ve seen them blitz
teams within the first 20 countless times. In the first 30 minutes, we blitzed them.”
Leeds improved considerably, and fully deserved a share of the points. Ezgjan Alioski, rampant from left-back, went close with a succession of efforts.
By the time Dallas blasted in via a deflection off the unfortunate Ryan Ledson, Preston were in the jaws of a ferocious storm and had probably ridden their luck just a little too hard. “It is important to make a distinction between the first 20 and the other 75 minutes of the match,” said Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa.
“For 20 minutes, they controlled the match. It is fair to say they forced our mistakes but, still, we could have avoided this. From there, it was Leeds who controlled the match.
“We should have drawn level in the match before we did and, even after we drew level at the end, we could have scored one more goal.” It was a comeback that showcased Leeds’ newfound resilience, but also demonstrated that old flaws remain. Chances were squandered. Dominance misused. And, as ever, the absence of injured talisman Pablo Hernandez was keenly felt.
Forced off with a hamstring injury in the loss to Fulham, Hernandez is a technician who lends composure to this type of situation. When he was crocked in September, the Whites won just two of the six games he missed. This time, the run stands at two points from three matches.
Indeed, over the course of his time at Leeds, they have won just 31 per cent of the matches he has missed – a telling illustration. A four-week timescale has been placed on his return, but hamstrings are notoriously unpredictable. His return will be key if a repeat of last season’s wobble is to be avoided.