ELLAND ROAD SIMMERING AS MARSCH’S BATTLERS CLING ON Pascal’s late strike offers Leeds hope
PASCAL STRUIJK’S potentially priceless late equaliser hauled Leeds out of the relegation zone – and stopped the mood turning even uglier at Elland Road.
Jesse Marsch’s men trailed to Danny Welbeck’s first-half strike when Dutch defender Struijk – an 83rd-minute substitute – headed home in the second minute of added time to spark wild scenes.
It was enough to lift Leeds above Burnley, who slipped into the bottom three but who have a game in hand on the Whites and a far superior goal difference.
The value of Struijk’s dramatic strike will not be known until around 6pm next Sunday. Those Leeds fans with half-full glasses were last night putting it somewhere around the £80million mark – the price of survival.
Marsch takes his side to Brentford – where Leeds have not won since 1950 – knowing that even a win might not be enough to keep them up.
But he was left grateful for Struijk’s intervention as 19-year-old Joe Gelhardt’s delightful footwork and cross found the defender, who stooped to head home at the far post. It quelled anger in the home stands where fans sang “sack the board” and proMarcelo Bielsa chants. Marsch, whose side ended a run of three straight defeats, said: “The stress of the situation has affected the players but it was a very special play from Joffy [Gelhardt]. He has that ability and he grew into the game more and more.”
Marsch’s men came agonisingly close to opening the scoring inside the second minute when Gelhardt’s closerange shot hit captain Liam Cooper in the face to deny Leeds a certain goal. Brighton soon began to pop the ball with the swagger of a side, who had destroyed Manchester United 4-0 in their previous game. The Seagulls led in the 21st minute when Rodrigo, who had a nightmare in the first half, gave the ball away. Yves Bissouma then sauntered unopposed into Leeds’ half and slipped a neat pass through to Welbeck, below.
The striker showed impressive skill and strength to outfox Diego Llorente and lift the ball over Illan Meslier. In the 38th minute, United defender Robin Koch made a vital interception to deny Leandro Trossard as he shaped the shoot before Alexis Mac Allister fired the loose ball just wide.
It was a huge let-off for Leeds but they almost equalised as half-time approached when Mateusz Klich fired goalwards from a corner routine, with Robert Sanchez diving full length to turn his 20-yard strike round the post.
It was a brilliant save but Leeds went close in the 54th minute when Raphinha crossed from the right to Rodrigo, only for Lewis Dunk to expertly divert the ball out for another corner. Eleven minutes later, Raphinha hit a free-kick from 25 yards, which Sanchez pushed on to the crossbar.
Klich’s close-range shot was repelled by the outstanding Sanchez before Struijk nodded in at the far post amid raucous scenes.
LEEDS (4-3-3): Meslier 6; Koch 6 (Shackleton 68, 6), Llorente 5, Cooper 6, Firpo 5 (Struijk 83); Klich 7 (Greenwood 83), Phillips 6, Harrison 6; Raphinha 6, Gelhardt 7, Rodrigo 5. Goal: Struijk 90.
BRIGHTON (3-4-2-1): Sanchez 8; Veltman 7, Dunk 7, Cucurella 7; March 6 (Webster 62, 6), Bissouma 7, Caicedo 6 (Lallana 74, 6), Trossard 6 (Lamptey 87); Groß 6, Mac Allister 7, Welbeck 7.
Goal: Welbeck 21.