LEEDS TOP OF THE LEAGUE
Latest victory puts club in highest position for 15 years
THE ADAGE about not taking any notice of a league table until at least 10 games into a season is one Leeds United supporters may struggle to adhere to this morning.
For the first time since the opening fortnight of 2002, the Elland Road club sits proudly atop one of English football’s top two divisions.
Victory over Harry Redknapp’s Birmingham City coupled with a 3-0 defeat for previous leaders Cardiff City at Preston North End was enough to nudge the Yorkshire club to the summit.
Whether it will last, no-one knows. A trip to Millwall awaits this weekend and United have lost on seven of their last eight visits to The Den.
But, for now, a group of supporters who in recent years must have wondered if their side would ever again lead the way at a decent level can bask in their current lofty standing.
Adding to that sense of satisfaction will be how their side had to dig deep into their reserves of desire and determination to earn those precious three points.
Unlike the romp that had been the weekend five-goal demolition of Burton Albion, this was a proper test against a proper team whose current lowly standing is ample illustration as to why too much notice should not be taken of league tables with September barely two weeks old.
The attacking talents of Jota, Jeremie Boga, Cheikh Ndoye and Sam Gallagher are enough to give any Championship defence a sleepless night or two, never mind the wide play of Maxime Colin.
Certainly, it is difficult to imagine Leeds will be given a sterner test all season long than the one they were handed in the Yorkshire rain last night.
That the hosts passed that thorough examination with flying colours spoke volumes for not only their resilience but also the awareness of a defence that last conceded in the league more than 10 hours ago.
Luke Ayling led the way with a quite superb clearance off the line to deny but he was far from the only hero in a white shirt being hailed by the 31,507 crowd at the final whistle.
That so many had been enticed through the turnstiles on a night when Yorkshire had been issued with a weather warning spoke volumes for the feelgood factor swirling through LS11 right now.
It had been a long time since Elland Road had been as full for a midweek league game. More than 13 years, in fact, and there were a couple of parallels between those two nights with the visiting sides being clad in all blue and their goalkeeper having a major connection to Leeds.
For Everton and Nigel Martyn in the spring of 2004, read Birmingham and David Stockdale last night but that was where the similarities ended with the Leeds-born goalkeeper unable to repeat the heroics all those years ago of arguably the finest man to the fill United’s ‘No 1’ shirt.
Stockdale did his best, most notably just before the hour with a hugely brave block at the feet of the onrushing Lasogga. His one handed save to deny Samuel Saiz 15 minutes later wasn’t too shabby, either.
But, unlike Martyn all those years ago when his saves helped Everton to a 1-1 draw, Stockdale left his home city empty-handed thanks to two clinical finishes.
The opener came in the 17th minute and owed everything to the determination of Pierre Michel Lasogga, as he turned what was little more than a hopeful punt forward into an attempt on goal through brute strength.
Michael Morrison was the unfortunate defender to come off second best, meaning he was on the floor as Lasogga unleashed a ferocious shot from an acute angle that Stockdale did well to get a firm enough hand to turn the ball away from goal.
It wasn’t, though, far enough as the ever-alert Saiz reacted quickest to steal a march on two Blues defenders and convert from close range a fraction of a second before being clattered from both sides.
Going behind was harsh on Birmingham, whose attacking play was a world away from the limp efforts of Burton at Elland Road four days earlier.
Before the opener, Morrison had gone close with a looping header moments before a brave block from Pontus Jansson left Sam Gallagher holding his head in frustration.
Ayling also denied Maxime Colin what seemed a certain equaliser in first-half stoppage time by clearing off the line after the lively Blues wideman had nipped ahead of Felix Wiedwald to head towards goal.
Birmingham continued to press after the restart, as Colin again caused panic among the home ranks with a run and cross that Vurnon Anita did very well to clear with Jota ready to pounce.
Gallagher and Che Adams then went close before the moment arrived that sealed Leeds’ return to the summit in the top two tiers of English football for the first time since David O’Leary’s days as manager, Dallas cutting inside before beating Stockdale in stoppage time.