Key events
42 min James directs the corner at the first man, Hull clear, and Leeds build again. I think they’ve now assimilated the shock of conceding, back playing their football as Meslier humps downfield for James, Giles doing really well to insert body between man and ball.
41 min Bamford will be feeling a way right now and he comes deep to get involved then Leeds get it wide to Summerville, who cuts inside, and the ball eventually ends up in the box with Firpo lunging into a shot, deflected behind by two also-lunging defenders.
39 min Hull knock it about! This has already been a ludicrous day of Champo drama, and suddenly this game looks like it will be of a piece.
37 min Credit for the goal should also go to Tufan, who brought the ball forward and who, if anyone, was trying to get Hull going.
36 min Football is increasingly complicated, but some of its truths are simple and eternal. Graeme Souness likes to say the team which gets to the ball first wins, correct, and Alex Ferguson always said strikers get their goals at the near post, also correct.
GOAL! Leeds United 1-1 Hull City (Carvalho 34)
THERE HE IS! After the Philogene shot is blocked, Morton wins the loose ball outside the box, skirts around the left edge of the Leeds defence and swivels into a cross … to find that, for the first time, there’s a man attacking the front post, and Carvalghoi does superbly to push in front of Ampadu, raising foot to divert a fine finish past Meslier! Game on!
34 min But Tufan again gets the ball in the centre, spreads to Philogene … who immediately shoots into the nearest body.
33 min Leeds will want another goal because 1-0 isn’t a safe score, but Hull don’t look like a team with many ideas of how they might work a shot, never mind a chance.
31 min Tufan spreads for Philogene, who teases Byram inside and out before drilling a low cross that Meslier blocks away at his near post, no attacker deigning to attack the six-yard box.
30 min It’s been a while since Hull mustered any kind of attack and, as I type, we learn they’ve an xG of zero.
28 min I did not know a Leodensian is not just someone from Leeds, but someone who went to Leeds Grammar – the sign outside which calls itself “The Grammar School at Leeds”. Which sounds pretentious but is, I think, because the girls school merged with the boys. More news as I get it.
27 min Junior Firpo is late on someone – Slater I think – and is booked.
25 min The crowd applaud Kevin Loftus and Christpher Speight again, the ref joning in. Nice touch, well played Josh Smith.
24 min WHAT A MISS PATRICK BAMFORD! Leeds get James away down the left, he crosses for his centre-forward, and Giles looks well-placed to cut the pass out. But feart of shanking in a hilarious own goal, he sort of pulls out and Bamford, left with a ball he wasn’t expecting, can’t adjust feet, inepting a dreadful finish that loops over the bar at a seemingly impossible angle of elevation.
23 min It’s gone a little quiet, but as I type Summerville gets on the ball and the crowd are up. He can’t make anything happen, James eventually having a shot blocked at source, but him and Rutter look a class above the rest on this pitch.
21 min Nice football thlrough midfield from Hull, but Leeds force them backwards and the ball ends up with Allsop, his long punt putting Tufan in a race with Rodon – which the attacker wins, but Meslier is still able to collect easily enough.
19 min Again, Slater sends over a decent cross – this time into the corridor – which Byram slides behind.But again, no Hull attacker was looking to get on the end of it and the corner comes to nowt.
19 min “Fulham links: Rosenior (player and future manager), Carvalho (once and future player, I hope) and Seri against James,” writes Richard Hirst. “So I’m going 3-1 to Hull, despite the start.”
18 min Slater slings over a cross and though Meslier was always getting it, there was no one even contemplating attacking the front post.
16 min Lovely first touch from Philogene, who opts not to shoot and instead cuts inside, a bum touch ruining the opportunity to create. Apart from hope he does something, Hull don’t seem to have much in the way of ideas.
14 min In comms, Don Goodman notes we’ve barely seen Carvalho – it turns out he’s had five touches – and i wonder if it might be worth dropping him into midfield so he can get on the ball and help feed Philogene, especially given Hull don’t have a recognised centre-forward to play off.
12 min The form Hull are in, it’ll be hard for them to come back from that – especially given the confidence now coursing through Leodensian Loiner veins.
10 min That’s the thing with Leeds – and with Leicester – and with Ipswich for different reasons: they have players looking to hurt you all over the pitch, even with injuries.
GOAL! Leeds United 1-0 Hull City (Byram 9)
Lovely feet in midfield from Rutter, who escapes Serri via drag-back, gracefully eases on to the gas and moves away from the man in pursuit before feeding Summerville on the left side of the box. He takes a touch and lashes a shot that Allsop can only prang away towards the back post where Byram – who got the move going winning a challenge with Philogene – nods in from under the bar.
8 min Hull are looking for Philogene pretty much every time they get the ball and they escape the Leeds press with Giles moving forward, finding Philogene who finds Serri … but his attempted killer pass, in behind, has too much on it and Meslier collects.
6 min Leeds have assumed control of the game. Hull are trying to press, but it’s the home side dictating tempo.
4 min Philogene exchanges passes with Giles and attacks Byram, but with help from Rutter Leeds get the ball away and counter, the ball eventually making its way over to the left, where Firpo’s cross is easily claimed by Allsop’s arms. Which is a terrible pun lost on anyone unfamiliar with the hostelries of Marylebone.
4 min James down the right and he nips inside for Gray, who lashes a shot from a narrow angle over the top.
3 min This isn’t from tonight, but it’s what he’s wearing. He looks like a Swatch watch I had in 1991.
2 min Goodness me, what is Meslier wearing? And what’s this? A ball in behind, Tufan after it, and as the keeper comes out, he for some reason seeks to avoid contact when he was getting there first. Strange little passage, that.
1 min Away we go!
A minute’s applause to remember Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, tragically murdered when Leeds visited Istanbul in 2000, 24 years ago this week.
…and here they come!
Our players are tunnelled…
“I’ve used this analogy before,” returns Jeremy Boyce, “but think of the Championship as the Tour de France peloton, climbing Ventoux – a win today could make all the difference in Paris later. It’s ‘elimination par l’arriere’, whoever can’t keep up gets dropped and it comes down to the final two or three riders … Saints have just been dropped at the Chalet Reynard, but can the upstarts from Trek Ipswich hold on all the way to the summit? Jumbo Leicester are still there, and UAE Leeds have still got legs, they’ll be needing a Pogacar performance tonight. There are still 6km to go, anything can happen.”
I’m also excited to see how Jaden Philogene goes. I’ve heard lots about him, and I daresay Rosenior will be hoping he gives Hull an out-ball and a threat on the counter.
Daniel Farke says that given the international schlepping, Leeds haven’t done much in training apart from light tactical work as they need to be at full fury for tonight, and though they’ve injuries, they will be; Liam Rosenior hopes his side rise to the atmosphere, as the have in other games this season.
Back to Ipswich, Kieran McKenna gives credence to my suspicion that Alex Ferguson did some kind of Dorian Gray-style deal for Man United to be good for as long as he was manager then rubbish thereafter. If he can get the Tractor Boys into the Premier League – never mind polaying the football they do – it’ll stand as one of the great managerial achievements.
“So as the Easter hunt draws to its close,” writes Jeremy Boyce, “I’m looking OK for my earlier prediction, depending on what goes on in the closing minutes in Ipswich. A lively, well-contested score draw and as you were for both, opening the door for…? I know Leeds are missing a couple of their preferred starting XI but you’d have to think that, playing in front of a slightly partisan home crowd on a Bank Holiday with the Golden Egg drawing into view, they would get this done. Wouldn’t you ? Or IS it the surprise banana skin home defeat that totally derails their chase ? It’s a funny old game football…”
You should definitely trademark that line. i think Hull will find it hard to raise it tonight, and agree that Elland Road is one of the few remaining grounds that, when it’s up, has manic behaviour coming from all parts.
Full time: Ipswich Town 3-2 Southampton
What a massive result that is! Kieran McKenna’s substitution trick does it again, and Ipswich now top the table by two from Leicester and four from Leeds, both of whom have a game in hand.
GOAAAAALLLLL! Ipswich Town 3-2 Southampton (Sarmiento 90+7)
OH MY COMPLETE AND UTTER ABSOLUTE DAYS! Ipswich have been pressing for a winner against 10-man Southampton and a terrific finish – Sarmiento falls, gets up, and pokes a quality futsal-style early finish – that takes Ipswich back to the top! What a game!
I’m looking forward to seeing Archie Gray tonight. I’ve not seen much of Leeds this season, but I saw plenty of Eddie Gray videos as a kid, so I’m excited to see how the magic has passed down.
Oh man, this is sensational.
Hull, meanwhile, make three changes. In the centre of defence, Sean McLoughlin drops to the bench with Tyler Morton n coming in; on the left of their attack, Ozan Tufan replaces Anas Zroury; and up front, it’s Abdülkadir Ömür, not Noah Ohio.
Anyway, back to these teams. Leeds are without the injured Liam Cooper, so Ethan Ampadu moves back into defence. His place in midfield is taken by Archie Gray, with Sam Byram coming in at right-back; otherwise, it’s as you were.
Elsewhere: it’s Ipswich 2-2 Southampton with seven plus additional to go.
TEAMS!
Leeds United (4-3-3): Meslier; Byram, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Kamara, Gray; Summerville, James, Rutter; Bamford. Subs: Darlow, Cresswell, Cooper, Shackleton, Crew, Anthony, Gelhardt, Piroe, Joseph.
Hull City (4-2-3-1): Allsop; Coyle, Jones, Tufan, Giles; Seri, Slater; Philogene, Carvalho, Seri; Omur; Subs: Pandur, McLoughlin, Ohio, Traoré, Sharp, Jacob, Christie, Connolly, Zaroury.
Preamble
To extol the Champo as football’s most exciting division is now true to the point of truism – and, let’s be real, it’s not exactly surprising to see Leeds, Leicester, Southampton and their parachute payments filling three of its top four places.
But the fact remains, the top 11 are playing for promotion and the bottom 10 are fighting against relegation – and for tonight, we’re focusing on the former.
Leeds are developing into a very pleasant football team, but tonight’s game doesn’t come at a great time for them, Willy Gnonto and Connor Roberts both out for a few weeks after hurting themselves on international duty, while Ilia Gruev is also a doubt. However, Patrick Bamford, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter give them a decent goal-threat nevertheless, and the best defensive record in the league gives them a chance of toughing out any game.
Hull, though, are no mugs, without a win in five but still ninth in the table just two points away from the playoffs. They lost at home to Stoke last time out, a miserable result by any standards, and lack a reliable goalscorer – all the more so given Liam Delap is injured. But Fabio Carvalho, though his Leipzig loan didn’t go well, remains a talent, and he’ll fancy himself to remind us of that this evening. I say this a lot, but: this should be good.
Kick-off: 8pm BST
