Leeds go top after stunning fightback at Aston Villa

LONDON: Kemar Roofe struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to complete a dramatic comeback and send Leeds back to the top of the Championship with a 3-2 win at Aston Villa.

Roofe’s goal crowned a second-half fightback from two goals down by the visitors, who moved a point ahead of Norwich at the top of the table.

Villa, who remain in 11th, had got off to a flying start when Tammy Abraham scored his ninth goal in his last seven games after five minutes and Conor Hourihane added a brilliant second 12 minutes later.

The hosts should even have added to their lead in the first half, but were stunned in the second as quick-fire goals from Jack Clarke and Pontus Jansson brought Leeds level before Roofe’s slick finish at the death sealed a thrilling victory.

Marcelo Bielsa’s league leaders had only conceded one goal in winning their previous five games, but were soon on the back foot at Villa Park.

The in-form Abraham collected a short pass from John McGinn and slipped the ball past Bailey Peacock-Farrell from close range to finish.

Soon it was 2-0 when Hourihane took a touch before unleashing a powerful 25-yard effort which flew past the helpless PeacockFarrell.

Leeds were shocked and wasted a chance to get back into the game when Mateusz Klich could only shoot weakly into the arms of Orjan Nyland.

However, confident Villa were threatening to run riot and Jonathan Kodjia fired just over at the end of another defence-splitting move.

Leeds grabbed a lifeline with a 57th-minute goal from half-time substitute Clarke.

Ahmed Elmohamady backed off from making a tackle, allowing Clarke to work his way across Villa’s defence before setting himself and rifling a shot past Nyland from about 12 yards.

Suddenly Leeds were lifted and Villa’s suspect defence was again exposed when Jansson rose to head home a left-wing corner from Pablo Hernandez in the 61st minute.

Leeds sensed an unlikely victory and, in the 95th minute, they clinched it as Roofe pounced on a weak Elmohamady header to hammer a low shot into the far corner.