Battling Bamford keeps Leeds flying
IT WAS near- impossible in the tangle of legs to see who had the decisive touch, but the definitive outcome of a winning goal was all that mattered to Leeds United.
Patrick Bamford, scorer of the first, claimed it, but eventually it was given as an own-goal by Matty Pearson. He had slid in to try to deny Bamford from a yard out.
After the Luton centre-back had been cruelly denied a goal at the right end 30 minutes earlier, it only compounded his misery.
The scrappy goal sealed a first away win in five for Leeds, keeping the pressure on leaders West Brom as they went second and extended the hosts’ losing run to five.
In the first half Bamford showed the form that had seen goals desert him for 10 games from August to early November, striking the post when clean through and firing two more efforts straight at Luton goalkeeper James Shea.
Without Shea the game might have been wrapped up, for the 28-year-old produced a string of excellent saves.
Two in quick succession from Kalvin Phillips and Jack Harrison stood out, and he racked up 10 in all as Luton’s hopes of an unlikely draw hung by a thread.
They could even have won it, but when Pearson bundled in from a corner on the hour, the linesman’s flag ruled it out due to an apparent offside as the ball ricocheted along the six-yard line.
Luton boss Graeme Jones said: ‘In my opinion Matty Pearson was onside. We’re playing Leeds United, the gulf is already big enough and when you don’t get decisions like that and your team has given everything they’ve got, it’s a difficult one to swallow.’ After a dominant first half, Leeds were finally ahead on 51 minutes, again in controversial circumstances.
Phillips looked to have fouled Izzy Brown on the edge of the visitors’ box, but as referee John Brooks stood unmoved, Leeds centre back Ben White sprung into action, driving 70 yards with the ball before sliding Bamford into the left-hand channel.
With a narrow angle and an inform Shea working against him it was a stunning finish from Bamford, who rattled the ball in at the near post.
But Luton were soon back level, Brown picking himself up and collecting the ball just inside the area before chipping to the six-yard box, where James Collins was waiting to nod past Kiko Casilla.
And after Pearson saw one goal struck off and another roll into his own net, Dan Potts wasted a final chance for Luton, coming in around the back at a corner and putting a free header wide.
‘The result was fair,’ said Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa afterwards. ‘The first half was a little bit more easy but in the second we fought a little more. If you want to win, you have to fight. When you have just a goal difference ( in front), deserving to win is not enough.’