TREASURE CHEST
Adams double lets Monk beat Leeds hate mob
CHE ADAMS silenced Garry Monk’s detractors as leaders Leeds slumped to their first league defeat this season – and Birmingham broke their win duck.
As he took his place in the technical area before kick-off, the former Leeds boss faced cries of “f*** Garry Monk’’. Other offensive chants followed.
Adams’ first-half brace brought Monk satisfaction, but Leeds winger Ezgjan Alioski made it an edgy ending with his 85th-minute goal.
Monk (right) said: “I’m very proud of the players, they deserved it. We’ve performed really well in pretty much all of our games and have been unfortunate not to have had a win already. We’ve come here and beaten the leaders, the players were magnificent.
“There’s been a lot of talk about us not winning games, but we’ve put that right.
“It’s not about me it’s about the two teams. We’ve come to a really hostile stadium full of noise and passion against a team playing well.
“A big part of the game plan was to make sure we didn’t let them get momentum. We stuck to our game plan and got what we deserved.’’
Monk was subjected to a torrent of hate when he quit Leeds in May 2017 and shortly afterwards took over at Middlesbrough, with some Whites fans branding him “a snake’’ on social media.
And a foul-mouthed tirade rained down from the terraces when he made his first return to Elland Road last season as Leeds beat Boro 2-1.
Monk, sacked after only six months with Boro, joined Birmingham in March and saved them from relegation.
The Blues have been struggling again, but Adams’ eighth-minute opener stunned Leeds.
The striker performed a smart turn and cracked a right-foot shot that beat Bailey Peacock-farrell well inside his near post.
Former Sheffield United hitman Adams struck again in the 29th minute from around 25 yards with a low effort that should not have beaten Peacock-farrell.
But it did, creeping in off the keeper’s right-hand post to the dismay of the sell-out home crowd.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa decided a change was needed and midfield anchor Kalvin Phillips made way for the more creative Stuart Dallas.
Birmingham’s time-wasting rattled the home faithful, whose anger mounted when Leeds coach Diego Reyes was shown a yellow card.
Alioski offered Leeds hope when he brought the ball under control on the left and fired into the far corner, but keeper Lee Camp then denied him and Dallas late on.
Bielsa blamed himself for the defeat, admitting: “It was down to me.
“Kalvin Phillips had to suffer the consequences – but I made the mistake with my selection.
“When I corrected the mistake, they had already scored two goals.
“It’s a high price to pay when you make a tactical mistake.’’