Match Report - Cardiff City 0-2 Leeds United; Proficient Pontus powers Whites to Welsh win Saturday, 17th Sep 2016 16:09 by Lucas Monk Pontus Jansson was the undisputed man of the match as a penalty from Chris Wood and a wonder-goal from Pablo Hernandez saw Leeds run out 2-0 winners over a sorry Cardiff side in today's early kick-off in the Championship. After winning at home for the first time this season in midweek, Leeds United secured back-to-back wins in the Championship for the first time since April with a 2-0 away win over Cardiff City. The Whites' capture of a precious three points lifts a huge weight off Garry Monk's shoulders, but the scrutiny of Cardiff counterpart Paul Trollope's leadership of the Bluebirds will only be intensified by the result. Cardiff, who were looking to bounce back in front of their own supporters after conceding six goals in two successive away defeats at Norwich and Preston respectively, hit the post twice in a goalless first-half that they arguably edged. The second-half was to be a completely different tale though, with Leeds making most of the running and securing victory thanks to Wood's 62nd-minute penalty and Hernandez's masterpiece that came with just eight minutes of normal time to play. The result sees Leeds move up to 14th place for the time being, whilst Cardiff remain 22nd but could slip to bottom if both Wigan Athletic and Blackburn secure the right results in their 3 o'clock kick-offs. Team Lineups Paul Trollope made five changes to his team after the 3-0 drubbing at Preston in midweek, also opting to switch to a 4-3-3 formation after failing to find success with the 3-5-2. Ben Amos came in for the often maligned Ben Wilson, whilst Lee Peltier squared up against his old club. There were recalls for Peter Whittingham and Craig Noone. Cardiff (4-3-3) - Amos; Peltier, Morrison, Connolly (Gounongbe 83') , Richards; Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Ralls (Harris 70'); Noone, Lambert, Pilkington (Immers 88'). Unused Substitutes - Ecuele Manga, John, Huws, Wilson. Garry Monk made two changes to the side that saw off Blackburn on Tuesday, with the exotically named youngster from Guinea Bissau, Ronaldo Vieira coming in for Liam Bridcutt and Chris Wood replacing Marcus Antonsson, who was relegated to the bench. Leeds (4-2-3-1) - Green; Ayling, Bartley, Jansson, Taylor; Vieira, O'Kane; Sacko, Hernandez (Phillips 89'), Dallas (Roofe 71'); Wood (Antonsson 90+2'). Unused Substitutes - Silvestri, Mowatt, Coyle, Cooper. First-Half Leeds got the game underway with the kick-off but it was the hosts who applied much of the early pressure. With just six minutes played Rickie Lambert almost found himself through on goal after an error of judgement from Pontus Jansson, but Rob Green was quick off his line to secure the ball. Three minutes later, and Leeds were forced to turn behind a good-looking cross to the back-post from Craig Noone, but the resulting corner was then cleared. Cardiff continued with their bright start to the match and pushed forward again on 11 minutes. A Bluebirds attack eventually saw a loose ball fall to Craig Noone on the edge of the area, but the former Brighton wide-man saw his effort amount to nothing thanks to a brave block from Pontus Jansson, the Swede on loan from Torino. A minute passed as Jansson received medical treatment before a dangerous Stuart Dallas cross just evaded the incoming Chris Wood who just couldn't quite shake off his marker with 12 minutes played. The hosts continued to probe and press, though. On 15 minutes Rob Green was required to claw away a Sean Morrison header at the back-post following a corner; the best of the game's chances up to this point. Leeds then conducted some more attacks of their own. Firstly, Stuart Dallas forced Ben Amos into action with a low strike from the edge of the box on 21 minutes, and four minutes later Pablo Hernandez struck a powerful shot that was finely saved by the Cardiff stopper after regaining possession in the home side's half. 22-year-old Hadi Sacko, who was many's man of the match on Tuesday night, was the first player to be booked in this feisty contest; catching Noone late on the Leeds right and picking up a yellow for his troubles. Five minutes later, Leeds would carve out their best opening of the half, Chris Wood firing straight at Amos from the edge of the box after subtle play from Sacko and Hernandez on the break. The final few minutes of the half were lively to say the least. On 42 minutes referee Graham Scott made a somewhat contentious decision to book Luke Ayling despite the United right-back cleanly taking the ball from Cardiff's Jazz Richards. The ensuing theatrics from Richards may have been what swayed Scott, but it certainly looked a harsh call. The final action of the half saw Cardiff hit the woodwork again after a low strike from the edge of the area hit the left-hand post and was then cleared. HT - Cardiff City 0-0 Leeds United A fiercely contested half that the hosts perhaps had the better of. Both teams created good opportunities to find the net but most of the attacking play was coming from the hosts. Neither side could score when they were on top, and so the two went in goalless at the break. Second-Half Both teams emerged from the tunnel unchanged, and it was Cardiff's prerogative to begin second-half proceedings after Leeds kicked off the first-half. The half's early action saw Rob Green comfortably take a succession of Cardiff crosses, before Stuart Dallas became the third United man to go into the book on 54 minutes; the Northern Ireland international penalized for a 'foul' on Cardiff's Gunnarsson, despite not actually making a great deal of contact with the player. Peter Whittingham floated in the resulting free-kick to an unmarked Rickie Lambert at the back-post, but Pontus Jansson made a crucial block to deny the former Southampton striker with 55 minutes on the clock. Leeds would have an opportunity of their own just four minutes later; Chris Wood blazing over from a tight angle after being played into the Cardiff area. It would matter not though. After referee Graham Scott missed a blatant foul on Kyle Bartley in the Cardiff penalty area on 60 minutes, Leeds were awarded a penalty a minute later after Pontus Jansson was hauled down by a clumsy Matt Connolly. Up stepped Chris Wood, who sent Amos the wrong way to hand Leeds a slender 1-0 lead. Cardiff tried to mount a quick charge for an instant reply two minutes later; Rob Green tipping away a Morrison header from a corner. Chris Wood would then have a chance to double his money for the afternoon on 72 minutes; the Kiwi seized upon a lofted ball over the top from Luke Ayling, but he delayed his shot for just too long, allowing Matt Connolly to slide in and deny him a second goal. Two minutes later, substitute Kemar Roofe tried his luck from range but his effort sailed harmlessly over the bar. Leeds would then have a succession of chances; the first coming on 80 minutes when Hernandez saw his deflected strike saved by Amos, before Hadi Sacko's driven shot was saved at the near-post. Kyle Bartley headed over from the resulting corner. Bartley's miss would not prove costly though. Shortly after the towering centre-back's effort, Pablo Hernandez killed the game off with a sumptuous strike into the top-right corner, an exquisite effort that erased any faint hopes of a Cardiff fightback.
Hernandez's blockbuster would prove to be the game's final action of note, with Cardiff unable to muster any kind of response as a gloomy Paul Trollope watched on. FT - Cardiff City 0-2 Leeds United - Wood (pen, 62'), Hernandez (82'). A deserved win for the visitors that was built on solid defensive foundations. The partnership consisting of Kyle Bartley and Pontus Jansson is akin to a brick wall, and on today's showing, the two would quite happily head away bricks and bowling balls without thinking twice if they were fired into their area. Cardiff failed to build on a solid first-half, and after Leeds took the lead the Whites didn't look back, with Hernandez's showpiece the absolute icing on the cake for a resilient United. Man of The Match MOTM - Pontus Jansson, Defender (Leeds). The 25-year-old has been a defensive rock ever since coming into the Leeds United team, and his determination and grit has also rubbed off on Kyle Bartley, who. after struggling in early matches, is now looking an assured partner at the back alongside the on-loan Swede. Jansson marked Cardiff's Lambert into silence, heading and blocking anything that was fired in his direction. His spirit and desire encapsulated his side's performance and he played a crucial role once more for Garry Monk's side. Post-Match Reaction - Garry Monk Garry Monk was jubilant as Leeds secured a deserved win on his return to Wales. The United head coach hailed his side's offensive and defensive qualities and was effusive in his praise of his team. "It's been a good week - today was another step forward. It was a good team performance." Monk told Sky Sports. "We deserved the win today. We were clinical when we needed to be and defended well when we needed to. "I'm pleased for the team. Getting back-to-back wins in this league is vital. "Our determination in the second half got us the win. It was a penalty but a goal was coming. "There's nothing better than giving these fans an awayday like that. Everyone played their part today." Match Statistics and Facts Stats - (Cardiff/Leeds) Possession - 53/47 Referee - Graham Scott Booked - Sacko, Ayling, Dallas (United) Attendance - 16,608 Writer's View A perfect away display. The influence of Pontus Jansson can not be underestimated; our win was built on a solid defensive showing and he was crucial to that. Ronaldo Vieira, Hadi Sacko, Kyle Bartley, and Pablo Hernandez all impressed on the day but he was the main man for me. I felt that although Cardiff threatened from set-plays they offered little in open play, and we managed to get the better of them in the second-half when we raised the tempo a tad. Chris Wood's penalty was composed and Pablo Hernandez's exquisite effort to wrap up the points caused me to react with an incredulous gasp. It seems as though we've now managed to get the defensive side of the game right, allowing us to push on if needed, which is what I felt we did today. I was pleased to see us refrain from radically changing our lineup and formation and I think that this continuity helped us. In my view, it is now abundantly clear that the current 4-2-3-1 formation is most accommodating of our greatest talents and we should stick with it now we've found a system that works for us rather than against us. On the whole, it was a fantastic result. I was impressed to see us win so comfortably at a ground where we have often come up short, and it was befitting of our performance that the match was contested in Wales; the spirit and sheer will to win that we demonstrated out there today was akin to that shown by the Welsh national team at the European Championships. The result eases some of the pressure on Garry Monk and we can now look forward to Tuesday's EFL Cup match against Blackburn at Elland Road, where I'm sure we'll see some of the more sporadic first-team players make an appearance. We'll have all the action from that game, right here at To Ell and Back. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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