KEEPER’S BLEEPER
Blades left to curse howler by Henderson
THE last time Leeds won at Bramall Lane they were crowned champions of the old First Division and had a certain Eric Cantona in their line-up.
Fast forward 26 years and their latest success – down to a howler by keeper Dean Henderson – saw Marcelo Bielsa’s men flex their promotion muscles.
Those Leeds fans old enough to remember that 1992 success will have returned up the M1 dreaming of a similar end to this season.
But Bielsa is warning not to get carried away with the latest victory, their fourth in five games, which had Blades supporters cursing their luck – and Henderson.
“If this had ended in a draw it wouldn’t have been an unfair result,” said Bielsa. “We had to defend a lot against a serious opponent but I thought we had the better of the chances.
“It’s always beautiful to win and I’m always happy after a win. The result makes it even better but you can’t take the risk of drawing conclusions when there are still so many games to play.”
Befitting of a typical Yorkshire derby, the game began at a frantic pace with David Mcgoldrick forcing young Leeds keeper Bailey Peacock-farrell into a fine save with a low drive on 10 minutes.
Henderson then kept the score goalless at the other end when he somehow produced an outstanding reaction save to tip Aapo Halme’s close-range drive wide for a corner.
In Billy Sharp, the Blades have one of the division’s most prolific strikers.
He has 10 league goals to his name already this campaign and should have made it 11 on the stroke of half-time when he headed Mcgoldrick’s cross down and over the bar from close range when it looked easier to score.
Henderson was forced into two fine saves on the resumption, first to deny Mateusz Klich in the 55th minute and then Pablo Hernandez after the midfielder danced his way into the area.
Mcgoldrick had a glorious opportunity to win it for the Blades, unmarked and inside the area with only the keeper to beat but Peacock-farrell’s left foot kept his side in the game.
In a battle between the two keepers for the man-of-the-match award, it looked to
be going Henderson’s way until a moment to forget for the Manchester United loanee.
His poor pass fell straight to Jack Clarke, who laid the ball on a plate for
Hernandez to slot into an empty net. The Blades pushed for an equaliser and Conor Washington hit the bar in stoppage time.
The result was hard to take for Blades boss Chris Wilder. “It was a really good game and it was always going to be decided by a bit of magic or a mistake,” he said. “And, sadly for us, it was the last one.
“We’ve asked a lot of questions of a very good side, we were never on the back foot and the players can’t be disappointed with the performance.”