NIGHTMARE FOR MCGREGOR
HULL keeper Allan McGregor got into the Christmas spirit as his embarrassing blunder gifted Leeds an undeserved victory.
With City in control at a packed Elland Road, the hapless Scotsman passed straight to Pablo Hernandez, then watched in horror as the Spaniard expertly scooped the ball straight back over his head.
With Leeds missing injured playmaker Samu Saiz, the Tigers continued to dominate and by the end had racked up an incredible 14 shots to the home side’s four.
But those impressive stats ultimately counted for nothing as new Hull manager Nigel Adkins slipped to his second defeat in three matches.
“We were dominant, we were assertive, we were on the front foot,” said Adkins, whose side now lie just three points above the relegation zone.
“I think we’ve had treble the opportunities Leeds had, but they’ve walked away with three points, so fair play to them.
“It’s a mistake, something you can’t legislate for. It’s a poor clearance and they’ve capitalised on that. But you’ve got to take your chances. You’ve got to score when you’re on top. Unfortunately we didn’t.”
Despite his magnanimity, Adkins must have felt like reporting a robbery at half-time. For 45 minutes, Leeds were pinned back and pressurised, clinging to parity only by the skin of their teeth and the reactions of Felix Wiedwald.
Having foiled Kamil Grosicki and Nouha Dicko, the German goalkeeper then watched helplessly as John Toral was denied by the kneecap of Pontus Jansson and the paint of his left-hand upright. Ola Aina, a constant menace from left-back, then thundered narrowly over.
Yet amidst this blitzkrieg – and having offered nothing going forward – Leeds found themselves ahead. McGregor, under no pressure whatsoever, drilled a kick straight at Hernandez. The Spaniard took one touch to control, another to get the ball out from his feet, and a third to loft a wonderful chip straight into the back of the net.
The Hull stopper partly redeemed himself to thwart the