Leeds United extended their fine unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship to six games after a comprehensive 3-0 home defeat of Rotherham at Elland Road in front of a crowd of 33,397 supporters on Monday.

Kyle Bartley’s fourth goal of the season, coupled with a brace on the part of the prolific Chris Wood, ensured that United would record a fourth successive home league victory after a tepid first half.

Leeds were lacklustre, insipid, and prosaic throughout the opening 45 minutes, but their counterparts from South Yorkshire were punished for their incapability to capitalise on United’s erroneous passing. Indeed, after Kyle Bartley opened the scoring just two minutes into the second half by heading in from Pablo Hernandez’s corner, the hosts were rampant, mercilessly exploiting the deluge of defensive frailties of their opposition and adding a further two goals via Chris Wood.

The result sees Leeds retain 5th place in the Championship table, with the Whites now five points ahead of 7th-placed Derby County after the Rams were soundly beaten at Norwich City by three goals to nil.

Team Lineups

Leeds United (4-1-3-2) - Green; Ayling, Bartley, Jansson, Berardi; Bridcutt; Sacko (Vieira 45'), Hernandez, Doukara (Dallas 73'); Roofe, Wood (Antonsson 82').

Unused Substitutes: Silvestri, Cooper, Denton, Phillips.

Rotherham (4-4-1-1) - Price; Fisher, Broadfoot (Wood 84'), Belaid, Mattock; Forde (Taylor 70'), Adeyemi, Frecklington, Newell (Vaulks 76'); Brown; Ward.

Unused Substitutes: Bilboe, Halford, Blackstock, Odemwingie.

First-Half

Prior to kick-off, there was a palpable air of expectation that beamed eminently from the anticipatory home crowd, who had turned out in force envisaging a facile, trouble-free victory.

But it would be the visitors, Rotherham, who would come agonizingly close to getting of to a dream start. On seven minutes, the Millers were awarded a free-kick by referee Steve Martin after Izzy Brown had been impeded just outside of the Leeds penalty area. Anthony Forde stepped up and curled it toward goal, drawing a fine save from Robert Green. Just seconds later, and former Whites loanee Tom Adeyemi smashed the rebound against the near post.

United’s first real venture into the opposition half arose with 19 minutes played; after diligent play on the left channel by Souleymane Doukara, Pablo Hernandez deftly cut and ran infield before firing a low effort just wide of Lewis Price’s right-hand post.

The next chance would fall to Rotherham on 35 minutes. Visiting right-back Darnell Fisher, formerly of Celtic, hurtled up the right before crossing into the area for Brown, who could only blaze a wild effort well over the crossbar from 12 yards out.

Leeds, whose central midfield was comprised solely of Liam Bridcutt, were almost incessantly overrun by their opponents in the middle of the park, and this allowed Rotherham to stifle United and prevent them from developing any sort of cohesive passing rhythm.

Joe Newell was involved in the final notable phase of first-half play, as he was duly slide tackled ferociously by Kyle Bartley after attempting to run clean through on goal in the 38th minute.

HT - Leeds United 0-0 Rotherham

A desolate half of football, bereft of even a scintilla of invention or innovation. Quality phases of play were a profound rarity, and Rotherham’s numerical hegemony of the middle third of the pitch allowed them to thwart any attempts by the hosts to settle into a fluid, precise, passing game.

Acknowledging the necessity to alter his system, Garry Monk hauled off the ineffectual Hadi Sacko and replaced him with central midfielder Ronaldo Vieira, before reverting back to his dependable 4-2-3-1 system.

Second-Half

With just two minutes of second-half football elapsed, Leeds took the lead through Kyle Bartley. A corner from the right was sumptuously curled in by Pablo Hernandez, and there at the far post was the towering Bartley, who met the ball emphatically to power a header into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Having taken the lead, United looked to double their advantage shortly afterwards on 56 minutes. A trademark, discerning reverse pass from Pablo Hernandez released Kemar Roofe on the right wing, before the latter’s eventual cross narrowly eluded the onrushing Chris Wood.

Forward forays from Rotherham had been seldom witnessed throughout the opening period of the second-half, but left-back Joe Mattock ventured forward from left-back on the hour mark, winning a corner for his side after his shot was deemed to have come off a Leeds boot before trickling out of play. The resulting corner fell to Tom Adeyemi at the back post but his headed effort was tame, and the lack of power enabled Rob Green to catch the attempt with ease.

Six minutes passed, before Wood did manage to put his name on the scoresheet. A pinpoint cross from the right on the part of Liam Bridcutt was controlled under pressure by the talismanic forward, before the New Zealander rifled the ball into the back of the net with a venomous volley that was wholly packed with power.

Despite having doubled their lead, the hosts were relentless in their application of attacking pressure, and they continued to uncompromisingly pursue a third goal. With approximately 11 minutes of normal time remaining, Gaetano Berardi was denied an inaugural goal in English football after seeing his low, driven left-footed effort cannon of the left-hand post.

In spite of Berardi’s misfortune, the third goal would eventuate just a minute later. A sweeping, scintillating move, one that was symptomatic of a supremely talented side, culminated in Luke Ayling feeding Kemar Roofe, before the latter crossed for the incoming Wood, who swept the ball into the bottom corner with sheer aplomb for his 16th goal in all competitions this season.

With the final act of note in the match, Pablo Hernandez was denied a fourth goal of the season by the aluminium. After Stuart Dallas had been hacked down on the verge of the visiting penalty area, Hernandez seized the initiative and struck a low free-kick toward goal, only to see his effort strike the base of the right-hand post.

The four minutes of added time were negotiated with ease, and thus United secured a victory to open the New Year.

FT - Leeds United 3-0 Rotherham - Bartley 47’, Wood 66’, 79’.

Man Of The Match

Chris Wood (9.1 Statistical Match Rating)

The New Zealand international continued his prolific campaign by scoring his first brace since April 2016.

Goals: 2

Shot Conversion: 66%

Aerials Won: 44%

Media: Victorious Leeds United head coach Garry Monk and losing manager Paul Warne

Garry Monk, speaking to the BBC:

"The first half was as poor as I have seen us for many months.

"It was classic from the away team, trying to slow things down, we were playing into their hands.

"There was no aggression, no intensity, no urgency, we were very lucky to come through unscathed. There were a few choice words, we made a change and it had an effect on us.

"The second half was a very good performance, much more like ourselves. No disrespect to Rotherham, but when we play better teams we will not be afforded the luxury of playing like that.”

Paul Warne, also speaking to the BBC:

"I thought we were excellent in the first half. I came to win the game, these are great places to play.

"To go in 0-0 was a bit of an injustice for us. We created loads and I was enjoying the game, I enjoyed the way we played. Half-time came and I knew it didn't count for anything.

"To concede from a corner was disappointing and it was a blow for my players and they didn't deserve that.

"That first goal changed the game. They get one or two chances, they score, we get one or two chances and don't score. From box to box we were excellent. The fine margins at this level and the quality are going against us."

Match Statistics and Facts

Stats - (Leeds/Rotherham)

Possession -  63% / 37%

Pass Success - 82% / 68%

Shots - 9 / 11

On Target - 4 / 2

Corners - 4 / 7

Fouls - 8 /10

Referee - Steve Martin

Booked - Jansson (Leeds), Mattock (Rotherham).

Attendance - 33,397

Writer's Verdict

In the end, a comprehensive victory. But the first-half was tepid, bereft of creativity and we were lethargic. Our passing slipshod, our defending on occasion, suspect. Credence must be given to Garry Monk for his tactical adjustments at half-time, because they changed the complexity of the game in its entirety.

There were a few doltish loggerheads around me who took it upon themselves to lament Garry’s decision to substitute the inefficacious Hadi Sacko for the energetic Ronaldo Vieira, but that very substitution, coupled with the reversion to the 4-2-3-1 formation, proved ingenious. Once we took the lead, the matter was settled. The team rediscovered the vigour and fervency with which they have played their football with for much of the season, and when we created our chances, we converted them.

Kyle Bartley netted a fourth goal of the season, and although Wood was demonstrably prolific once more today, I'd have Bartley earmarked as a potential contender for the club's player of the season award come May. He has been imperious at the heart of our defence and for all of the justifiable fanfare around Pontus Jansson, I'd say that Bartley has been as good, if not better, than the Swede.

I am in utter disbelief at the comments made by Rotherham caretaker Paul Warne. Rotherham were not ‘excellent’ in any way, it was our own error-strewn first-half performance that for 45 minutes, veiled their egregious defensive frailties. If you go over to WhoScored.com and take the liberty of browsing the match report, you’ll notice how from the formation change onward, our average statistical rating blossomed.

Garry Monk’s assessment of events was typically honest, and I am in total agreeance with his assertion that more adept opposition would not have allowed our wretched first-half to go unpunished. That said, we were vastly superior in the second-half and were unfortunate not to have scored more than the three goals we netted. Each of our goals were well crafted, and I suspect that even the most ardent Rotherham supporter will have no complaints at the result.

A fantastic way to open the New Year. On we go to Cambridge, though I’d imagine the rigours of league football will mean wholesale changes to our starting lineup for that game in a week’s time.

Photo: Action Images

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