Pontus Jansson netted his second goal of the season as Leeds United extended their unbeaten run to five games after holding Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw at Villa Park.

Garry Monk’s Leeds United extended their unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship to five games on Thursday night with a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.

Shortly after the half-time interval, Pontus Jansson headed the Whites in front as Villa goalkeeper Mark Bunn fumbled the Swede’s effort into the back of the net. The goal was Jansson’s second for Leeds since arriving on loan from Serie A club Torino in the summer, but Leeds were to be denied all three points in the dying embers of the match.

With merely four minutes of normal time still to be played, United’s Liam Cooper handled under pressure inside the penalty area, prompting a deluge of enraged Villa players to swarm referee Roger East, who elected to award the hosts a late penalty after consulting one of his assisting officials. Jonathan Kodjia, who was playing in his final match for the home side prior to the upcoming African Cup of Nations getting underway, coolly converted the spot-kick to ensure that Villa’s unbeaten home record in league competition this season remained intact.

The result does mean that Leeds, for the time being, rise up to fourth position in the table, overtaking David Wagner’s Huddersfield in the process. Aston Villa meanwhile, leapfrog Barnsley into ninth.

Team Lineups

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) - Bunn; Hutton, Chester, Baker, Amavi; Jedinak (Gestede 78’), Westwood; Ayew (Adomah 78’), Grealish (McCormack 49’), Bacuna; Kodjia.

Unused Substitutes: Gollini, Elphick, Gardner, Agbonlahor.

Leeds United (4-2-3-1) - Green; Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, Berardi; Bridcutt (Vieira 83’), Phillips, Sacko, Roofe (Wood 69’), Dallas (Hernandez 57’); Doukara.

Unused Substitutes: Silvestri, Denton, Mowatt, Antonsson.

First-Half

The hosts began proceedings, defending the Holte End. With barely a minute played, an insouciant pass from Kalvin Phillips was seized upon by Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia, who was, fortunately for Phillips, dispossessed by a well-timed slide tackle by Pontus Jansson.

Four minutes elapsed, before Phillips relinquished possession to Kodjia once more. This time, the Frenchman drove toward goal before seeing a deflected strike from 20 yards beaten away by Rob Green.
Leeds’ first real venture forward came on 38 minutes, as Hadi Sacko eluded the challenge of Jordan Amavi on the right, before hitting a cross against Mile Jedinak for a corner. The ensuing delivery did not produce a chance to take the lead however; Villa managing to clear their lines with relative ease.

Two minutes later, and Sacko was on the charge once more. A mistake by a Villa defender under pressure from Luke Ayling culminated in Sacko crossing low into the area for Kemar Roofe. If not for a desperate, last-ditch intervention by James Chester, Leeds would certainly have taken the lead.

The final effort of the half came in the final minute of the three added on for stoppages, with Stuart Dallas, left-footed, firing a volley harmlessly over the bar from an improbable angle.

HT - Aston Villa 0-0 Leeds United

After a frenetic opening ten minutes, the tempo of the match decelerated as Leeds, having weathered a treacherous early storm, placed emphasis on frustrating their West Midlands counterparts by ensuring that they had an adequate number of players behind the ball when tasked with defending. Having initially struggled to remain a threat on the periphery with such great priority placed upon maintaining defensive solidity, United did enjoy a few breaks as the half neared its conclusion.

Second-Half

There were changes for neither side during the interval, and so Leeds began the second-half, with their opposition now shooting toward the Holte End.

With just four minutes of the second-half played however, Jack Grealish was forced off by injury, and sure enough, on to replace him came Ross McCormack, a player who had spent four years at Elland Road but who had left in 2014 in an unceremonious manner.

Merely two minutes after his introduction, McCormack raced up the right before crossing the ball powerfully into the penalty area. Rob Green held his nerve however, and the former England stopper parried the ball to safety.

Two minutes passed before Sacko would enjoy another venture up the Leeds right, putting his guile and speed to good use and winning a corner. The resulting set-piece was sumptuously curled in by Stuart Dallas, and there was an inexplicably unchallenged Pontus Jansson to head the visitors in front, despite the futile efforts of Mark Bunn in the Villa net.

The home side’s left-back, Jordan Amavi, has reportedly been the subject of recent interest from an unnamed Chinese Super League outfit, with Aston Villa, according to media reports, having knocked back a £25 million approach for the Frenchman. One would perhaps be correct to cast doubt over the reliability of those accounts, purely on the basis of the fact that the right channel was proving rather bounteous for the visitors. On 56 minutes, former Oxford talisman Kemar Roofe, who starred in Monday’s comprehensive victory over Preston, was the next player to surge up the right wing and gain a corner for Garry Monk’s men. The hosts struggle to defend the resulting delivery, and the ball fell to a yet again, unmarked Jansson, who cracked a venomous volley against the aluminium of the crossbar.

Kalvin Phillips was next to try and double United’s advantage. After latching onto a through ball, the youngster tried his luck and went for goal, only to drag a wayward effort well wide of the mark.

On 67 minutes, the hosts pursued an equaliser through Jonathan Kodjia. The forward, signed in the summer transfer window for £11 million, struck a goalbound effort that was strongly beaten away by a resilient Green.

Four-time Spain international Pablo Hernandez had replaced Stuart Dallas in the 57th minute of the match, and the Spaniard would go agonizingly close to scoring his fourth foal of the season with 74 minutes on the clock. The technically adroit playmaker attempted an audacious chipped effort that virtually caught Villa ‘keeper Bunn off-guard, but unfortunately for Leeds the ball just dipped over the crossbar.

Hadi Sacko has often been maligned for a supposed dearth of a ‘final product’ for much of his time with the club since he arrived on loan from Sporting Club De Portugal in the summer, and he spurned a glorious chance to arguably seal the deal for his side on 78 minutes. The fleet-footed winger surged through on goal but rather than pass to teammate Chris Wood, he opted to go for the jugular, seeing his effort parried away by Bunn.

The introduction of Rudy Gestede and Albert Adomah in that very minute perhaps altered the complexion of the match to the benefit of the hosts. As almost if on cue, the fresh injection of attacking impetus invigorated the home side and sparked a period of intense Villa pressure. Sure enough, with just six minutes of normal time remaining, United defender Liam Cooper unfathomably handled inside the area. Following an unsavoury swarming of referee Roger East by a deluge of enraged home players, East awarded a penalty to the hosts, having initially signalled for a United free-kick. Conceivably, the petulant protests of a multitude of the Villa players influenced his judgement, but nevertheless, up stepped Kodjia to convert the spot-kick with aplomb, and ensure that Villa’s admittedly impressive home record remained intact.

Following that brisk episode of controversy, both sides had chances to net a decisive winning goal in the dying embers of the match, with Kodjia being denied by Green yet again just moments after his equaliser, and Sacko (who rattled the crossbar from inside the area), Jansson, and Ayling going close for United at the other end.

Remarkably, neither side were able to convert any of those chances and the scores remained level.

FT - Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds United - Kodjia 86’, Jansson 54’.
A fiery, close-fought affair which neither side deserved to lose. Leeds will feel aggrieved having been in the lead, but the Whites put on another good showing for their vehement travelling supporters and can be justly proud of their progress in 2016-17 thus far. For Villa, it must be considered a point gained, but to really make up significant ground in the race for the play-offs, the Villains needed all three points.

Man Of The Match

Pontus Jansson, Defender

The Swedish defensive juggernaut was imperious at the heart of the Leeds United defence for seemingly the umpteenth time this season, with his impassioned and abrasive style once more making a significant impression.

Goals: 1

Pass Success: 88%

Clearances: 9

Statistical Rating: 8.34.

Media: Player Reaction on Social Media

Leeds United trio Liam Cooper, Luke Ayling, and Hadi Sacko:

Aston Villa’s Andre Green

Match Statistics and Facts

Stats - (Villa/Leeds)

Possession - 46% / 54%

Pass Success - 68% / 75%

Shots - 11 / 12

On Target - 5 / 2

Corners - 4 / 7

Fouls - 15 /15

Referee - Roger East

Booked - Chester, Gestede, Bacuna (A.Villa), Jansson, Cooper, Bridcutt (Leeds).

Attendance - 37,078

Writer's Verdict

An immensely competitive match in which two embattled sides, who are both hopeful of finishing this season inside the play-off places, were both deserving of a point.

The intense pressing of the home side forced errors from ourselves, in particular Kalvin Phillips, who looked tremendously out of his depth, relinquishing possession with frightening regularity. If not for the heroics of one Pontus Jansson, we’d have had a mountain to climb in consequence of his inattentive pass in the first knockings of the contest.

For substantial periods of the match we generally maintained a resolute defensive solidity, if you cast aside the antics of Jonathan Kodjia who posed a significant threat in attack for Villa. Taking into careful consideration the absence of the valorous Kyle Bartley, we largely kept our opponents at arm’s length. Liam Cooper, the aforementioned Bartley’s replacement for the night, put in a typically indifferent performance, which would have been deemed a solid one if not for his doltish error of handling the ball inside the box with merely minutes to play.

We posed a threat on the periphery by virtue of our guile when counter-attacking, but in striking contrast to Monday’s emphatic victory, we were profligate in front of goal, spurning several golden opportunities to extend our advantage following Jansson’s fantastic headed opener.

In fairness, our West Midlands counterparts were similarly wasteful in front of goal. Both sides had shot conversion rates of 9% and 8% respectively. On that basis, a draw was a fair result and we can move swiftly on to facing Rotherham at Elland Road on January 2nd.

Finally, I subscribe to Luke Ayling’s post-match sentiments; the fact that I feel a marginal tinge of disappointment as I recount the events of this match is perhaps emblematic of the sheer renaissance in the fortunes of this club that Garry Monk has overseen. I renew my calls for him to be given a long-term contract.

Photo: Action Images

Leeds United Polls