Hull repel Leeds with ‘immense’ defensive effort
Another explosive finale eluded a Leeds side who had come from behind twice over the festive period to beat Aston Villa and Blackburn 3-2.
Kemar Roofe had been the hero in those fixtures, with three goals arriving in stoppage time, but there was to be no third feat of escapology in as many games, Roofe instead cutting an isolated figure against a clinical Hull City side who blunted their opponents in the first half and denied them by sheer force of will in the second. Leeds were strikingly off-colour in the first half and, by the time they got going with their usual swashbuckling flair, Hull were already a goal to the good through the excellent Jarrod Bowen and were happy to ride out the onslaught.
Pontus Jansson miscued an overhead kick, twice, Luke Ayling headed marginally over and Pablo Hernandez saw a free-kick palmed wide. Then Hull, superbly organised from the outset, responded with Bowen’s second.
“I’m really pleased,” Nigel Adkins, the Hull manager, said. “Our shape was good. Our centre-halves [Reece Burke and Jordy De Wijs] were immense. The whole squad contributed. We have a work ethic about everything we do.”
Leeds were looking to extend their lead to six points, but first against 15th was a meeting of the league’s two form teams. Leeds were aiming for an eighth consecutive win, with Hull enjoying a run of six games without defeat.
Hull’s confidence showed and they were cannily organised, breaking well. Kamil Grosicki’s cross to the back post sank amid a flurry of shirts inside the area, and Kalvin Phillips’s indecisive clearance fell to Bowen for him to slide the opener past Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
“I don’t think we played bad defensively,” Marcelo Bielsa, the Leeds manager, said. “It’s different when you have to attack 40metres of free space, which is what the opponent had. In our case, we had to attack in small spaces.”
Bowen added his second against the run of play in the second half. Grosicki left Barry Douglas chasing shadows and crossed for Bowen, who made no mistake from the rebound after his first effort was blocked by Peacock-Farrell.