By Mikey Hale
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Town on top but fall to defeat
Town fell to their first defeat of the 2023/24 Championship season at home to Leeds.
An early Joe Rodon own goal put the Blues ahead however efforts from Georginio Rutter, Wilfried Gnonto and Joel Piroe – all coming within the first 20 minutes – saw the visitors move in front.
Nathan Broadhead reduced the deficit with the final play of the first half, but Luis Sinisterra netted with 15 minutes remaining to ensure the visitors claimed the three points, despite Conor Chaplin’s late consolation goal.
Leeds looked bright in the opening stages, but it was Kieran McKenna’s side who moved into the lead after just seven minutes. Leif Davis, coming up against his former side for the first time since switching Elland Road for Portman Road in 2022, played the ball down the left flank to Kayden Jackson. The frontman, one of two changes to the side alongside Harry Clarke, drove into the box before playing a dangerous ball across goal which Rodon could only turn into his own net.
Town could’ve doubled their lead just over a minute later but, after Wes Burns had been played in behind by Davis, a recovering defender slid in to block the Welshman’s low effort from just inside the area.
The visitors equalised just three minutes after the opener, with Rutter skipping past a couple of defenders before slotting into the bottom corner.
A frantic start continued four minutes later as Leeds turned the game on its head. Sam Byram delivered a teasing ball into the box for Gnonto, who converted from a narrow angle at the back post.
Leeds added a third before the clock had hit the 20-minute mark, with Piroe passing into the back of the net from close range after Vaclav Hladky could only parry Sinisterra’s initial effort.
The Blues went close to pulling a goal back almost immediately. Burns pulled the ball back towards Jackson, whose flick looked to be heading wide. Broadhead recycled the ball for Massimo Luongo, with the Australian midfielder’s shot being turned around his own post by Illan Meslier.
Jackson saw a shot well-saved by Meslier midway through the half, with Davis coming up with a superb block to deny Luke Ayling just under 10 minutes before the break.
Broadhead saw a low drive from the edge of the area fall just wide of the bottom corner before Burns lashed past the post late in the half.
Town were provided with a lifeline in the last of six additional minutes at the end of the first half. Jackson latched onto a loose back pass before squaring for Broadhead to bundle into the back of the net.
The Blues, buoyed by the late first-half goal, came out of the blocks fast in the second half. Broadhead went close to finding an equaliser as the hour-mark approached as he cut inside his marker before seeing an effort from eight yards blocked behind by Rodon. From the resulting corner, Clarke went agonisingly close to his first goal for the Club, as he jinxed inside and outside of a defender before curling narrowly wide of the frame.
Piroe continued to look a threat, with Hladky producing a smart stop to deny the Dutchman with 20 minutes of the allotted 90 remaining.
Sinisterra restored Leeds’ two-goal advantage five minutes later, finding the corner of the net after being played in behind the Blues’ backline.
Chaplin netted a consolation goal deep inside second-half stoppage-time.
Town: Hladky, Clarke (Williams, 73), Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns (Harness, 82), Morsy (C), Luongo (Taylor, 82), Davis, Chaplin, Broadhead (Hutchinson, 73), Jackson (Ladapo, 73).
Subs: Slicker, Edmundson, Ball, Evans.
Leeds: Meslier, Ayling (C), Ampadu, Piroe, Rodon, Struijk, Gray, Sinisterra (Gelhardt, 85), Rutter, Byram (Drameh, 24 (Shackleton, 46)), Gnonto.
Subs: Darlow, Cresswell, Summerville, Gyabi, Greenwood, Hjelde.
Attendance: 29, 606 (2,008 Leeds fans).
