After vanquishing direct play-off rivals Reading on Tuesday night despite enjoying merely meagre quantities of ball possession, Leeds United secured back-to-back home victories in the Sky Bet Championship with a marginally deserved 1-0 success over West London side Brentford.
In the absence of prolific talisman Chris Wood, who, prior to sustaining a hamstring injury on Tuesday night had scored a hefty 14 goals in all competitions, United displayed tremendous resolve in battling to a hard-fought victory over a plucky Brentford outfit at Elland Road.
After a competitive first period in which clear-cut goalscoring opportunities for either side proved an extreme rarity, Leeds claimed victory with a last-gasp goal that sent the home contingent into delirium. With the game in its dying embers and a draw looking ever more probable as each moment passed, defensive colossus Kyle Bartley emphatically headed home a sublime Stuart Dallas cross in the 89th minute to ensure that Garry Monk’s side procured a precious three points.
The result sees the Whites rise into 5th position in the table, overtaking Steve McClaren’s Derby County after his Rams could only labour to a 2-2 draw away to Fulham. Brentford meanwhile remain in 14th place, level on points with Aston Villa (13th) and Ipswich Town (15th) with all three sides having accumulated 28 points thus far this season.
Team Lineups
Leeds United (4-2-3-1) - Green; Ayling, Bartley, Jansson, Taylor (Berardi 58’); Phillips (Bridcutt 72’), Vieira; Sacko, Roofe, Dallas; Doukara (Antonsson 79’).
Unused Substitutes: Silvestri, Cooper, Grimes, Mowatt.
Brentford (3-5-2) - Bentley; Egan, Dean, Bjelland; Colin, Yennaris (McEachran 72’), Sawyers, Woods, Field (Barbet 83’); Hogan, Vibe (Kaikai 79’).
Unused Substitutes: Bonham, Saunders, Hofmann, Kerschbaumer.
First-Half
United began proceedings, facing the South Stand.
After an uneventful opening 15 minutes a short corner from the hosts culminated in the creation of the game’s first opportunity. After diligent play from Souleymane Doukara initially won the corner, Charlie Taylor and Hadi Sacko combined before Kemar Roofe teed up Stuart Dallas for a strike within the Brentford box. Unfortunately though, the Northern Ireland international failed to keep his composure; blazing the effort, left-footed, well over Daniel Bentley’s crossbar.
The first chance for the visitors fell the way of Danish forward Lasse Vibe just two minutes later. Cultivated midfielder Romaine Sawyers regained possession for his side in the United half, before playing in Vibe, whose finish, in truth, was rather tame. His shot was straight at Robert Green, who saved with ease. Two minutes elapsed before Brentford charged forward again; youngster Tom Field whipped in a precise cross that Scott Hogan met with a diving header, but the former Rochdale hitman could only glance the ball into the grateful arms of Green.
There were jovial cheers from the home crowd on 28 minutes when Bees defender Andreas Bjelland was subjected to a robust sliding challenge from United’s Souleymane Doukara on the touchline. The tackle left the former with a slight imprint but there was nothing malapropos, or malicious concerning the challenge.
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Brentford were beginning to seize the initiative, and Dean Smith’s side would create a pair of opportunities before the blast of the half-time whistle. Skipper Harlee Dean tried his luck from 20 yards, but he could only drive his effort straight at Green. Another effort from Romaine Sawyers followed, but his attempt flew harmlessly over the crossbar.
The visitors would then have the ball in the back of the net just three minutes prior to the half-time interval. Leeds were caught napping by their West London counterparts, as a free-kick into the path of Vibe completely carved the Whites open, before Scott Hogan bundled in from close-range. To the unadulterated relief of Garry Monk however, Hogan was adjudged to have been in an offside position, and the goal was correctly quashed by the assistant referee on the right.
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Leeds would produce an inviting opportunity of their own on the stroke of half-time, with Kemar Roofe seeing a powerful effort deflected behind for a corner after deft play from Hadi Sacko to set him up.
HT - Leeds United 0-0 Brentford
Second-Half
Both sides emerged from the tunnel ahead of the second-half unchanged, and as Leeds had begun the first period, it was the right of the visitors to start the second, with Scott Hogan getting proceedings underway.
After a drab opening to the second-half, the hosts would be presented with a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock in the 62nd minute. A Stuart Dallas corner from the left was chested down by Luke Ayling, who could only leather the ball over the crossbar from a tight angle, to the sheer horror and incredulity of the Kop. Three minutes passed before an even more conspicuous chance fell the way of Souleymane Doukara, who bore down on goal after being played in behind the Brentford back-three by Stuart Dallas on the left channel, before cutting inside and sliding the ball narrowly wide from close proximity.
Just four minutes elapsed before another chance presented itself to Luke Ayling. Hadi Sacko dutifully prevented a loose ball from going behind for a Brentford goal-kick on the right by virtue of his incredible speed, before cutting the ball back for the defender, whose effort fizzed just wide of Bentley’s left-hand post.
After incessant time wasting and defensive tactics that would make any bonafide purist break down into tears, Brentford’s resolve was shattered at the last. With time ebbing away and with the home fans in a heightened state of anxiety, up stepped Kyle Bartley to emphatically head home a Stuart Dallas cross from the right after Sacko had played the ball short to the Northern Irishman from a corner. Cue unalloyed pandemonium in the stands, with those same home fans now zealously bellowing Bartley’s name at the very top of their voices. United negotiated the four minutes of added time with much determination, and the sheer delight that greeted the final whistle was palpable, and rightfully so, for had Brentford equalised, it would have been among the most tragic events of footballing injustice in the history of the game.
FT - Leeds United 1-0 Brentford - Bartley (89’)
A scrappy, slipshod encounter that was strewn with error all over. The officiating was preposterous with not a single one of the match officials appearing to possess a care for any mere scintilla of common sense, while the passing of both sides served only to frustrate their respective sets of supporters. Brentford’s shallow timewasting tactics were fully deserving of lamentation, as was the performance of the referee and his assistants, but Leeds have shown fortitude in abundance this term, and Garry Monk’s side secured a highly valuable three points nonetheless.
Man Of The Match
Kyle Bartley, Defender (Leeds).
The 25 year-old, who hails from Stockport, was once again composed at the heart of the Leeds United defence, working seamlessly in tandem with Pontus Jansson to keep Scott Hogan and Lasse Vibe at arm’s length throughout. He also registered his third goal of the season, with his previous efforts having come against Blackburn Rovers and Barnsley respectively.
Statistical Rating: 7.50
Media: Victorious Leeds United head coach Garry Monk and losing manager Dean Smith
Garry Monk, speaking to the BBC:
"We've won seven of our last nine home games and that's great, but it was obvious we weren't at our best today. I thought we looked tired, especially in the first 60 minutes.
"The sense was that it was going to be one of those days, but it was a great header from Barts and I think the roof came off the place when that goal went in.
"It's great to see that mentality, fight and spirit from the players to keep going right to the end."
Dean Smith, also speaking to the BBC:
"I'm very disappointed; I don't think we deserved that. For an hour we were very good and made a good team look average.
"It was a typical Championship game - chances were at a premium - and that's why it was so cruel to lose it at the end.
"It (the disallowed goal) wasn't justified. I've seen the replays and he was marginally onside. Sometimes you get them and today we didn't."
Match Statistics and Facts
Stats - (Leeds/Brentford)
Possession - 57% / 43%
Pass Success - 77% / 67%
Shots - 6 / 10
On Target - 1 / 4
Corners - 5 / 7
Fouls - 11 / 6
Referee - Darren Bond
Booked - Bartley (Leeds), Egan (Brentford).
Attendance - 25,134
Writer's View
A slightly fortuitous win perhaps, but one that I’ll gratuitously accept. Brentford proved a coherent and organized form of opposition and we did remarkably well to acquire the three points today.
I was frustrated with the inconsistency of our passing at times, and it does encapsulate aptly the overall quality of play when look at the respective statistics concerning pass completion for both sides.
Brentford employed a deluge of shallow tactics in an attempt to stifle the game and secure a point, but while they maintained a structured defensive shape and restricted us to only a scant few clear-cut chances, their actions proved frivolous. I took my leave from the stadium holding the view that they were wholly deserving of the defeat because of the petty manner in which they tried to obtain a result. It reeked of desperation, and it is not a jocose jibe to suggest so; it gave the impression of a manager (Dean Smith), who presently is under much duress, which may explain, if my assertions are correct, the intentions behind their attempts to kill as much time as they could.
I’m pleased with the result, if not the performance, which was, for the most part, utterly abject. Kalvin Phillips eminently struggled out there today, with his younger partner in central midfield, Ronaldo Vieira, faring much better when tasked with closing down opponents and retaining possession. The man of the match is an obvious choice, as Kyle Bartley ultimately made the difference by scoring a bullet header to secure the victory, and perhaps he could be considered one of the most adept defenders we’ve had in recent years. Like Jansson, who is subject to far more fanfare, Bartley possesses a tranquil composure akin to that of a cultured midfield playmaker, for not only is he combative in the challenge and aerially proficient, but also, he is comfortable in possession of the ball, unlike many of the defenders I’ve had the misfortune of witnessing at this level.
Concisely, a satisfactory result but a below-par performance, although the latter is understandable. Pablo Hernandez and Eunan O’Kane are missed a great deal in midfield, and when you also take into consideration the absence of the free-scoring Chris Wood in attack, you’ll inevitably draw the same conclusions as myself; that we’ve actually done rather well to win today.
The result ensures that we’ll spend an upbeat Christmas Day with our families in the comforting knowledge that we are in the play-off positions. But, if like me, you are fanatical when following the fortunes of our great club, then you’ll find yourself thinking of our trip to Preston on Boxing Day while munching on succulent slices of turkey. Indeed, there is something auspicious in the air this season, and there is genuine cause for collective winter cheer for Leeds United fans for the first time in yonks. Â