Sixth straight victory fuels Leeds dreams of promotion
Leeds United’s sixth win in succession to go a point clear at the top of the Championship reinforced the view that this could finally be the year when they return to the Premier League.
“Don’t you know pump it up, the Whites are going up,” chanted the raucous away supporters – and why not?
Leeds were missing midfield fulcrum Kalvin Phillips through suspension and were dealt a further blow when captain Liam Cooper withdrew late on with a calf problem.
No matter. They still had too much quality for a Huddersfield side – missing 10 players through injury or suspension – who gave as good as they got during a goalless first half, in which Leeds midfielder Mateusz Klich struck a post, from a well-worked corner.
A Yorkshire derby in front of a full house can test the soul but, as the Terriers snapped at their visitors’ heels, Leeds were not found wanting and are now four points better off than at this point last season.
Once Ezgjan Alioski hit a superb leftfoot volley from a corner from 20 yards out to open the scoring in the 50th minute, they had a platform for victory. That said, Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla produced two particularly important saves either side of half-time, first keeping out Steve Mounie’s glancing header and then stopping Elias Kachunga’s effort from point-black range.
The effervescent Pablo Hernandez produced a diving header from Jack Harrison’s left-wing cross to seal the points for Leeds.
Huddersfield manager Danny Cowley could not fault the spirit of his depleted side, and was quick to recognise that Marcelo Bielsa’s men could take some stopping, after faltering in the closing weeks of their last campaign.
“They won’t fall short this time,” said Cowley. “Marcelo Bielsa is an intelligent manager and would have realised the reasons they came up short last season. He is a pioneer and will understand this league much better than maybe he did last year.
“He’s got a team now with continuity and you can see it and you can feel it – he’s got them on remote control. That only comes through constant replication and repetition in training.”
Bielsa, whose side have conceded just three goals in their past nine matches, said: “Casilla had a great impact on the result.
“There are two important things for a goalkeeper; don’t make mistakes and try and make important saves. This season he is fulfilling those two needs.”