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Leeds stage stunning comeback to clinch victory over Bournemouth
Sunday, 6th Nov 2022 22:14 by Tim Whelan

It was a game that put us through a rollercoaster of emotions before we eventually overcame AFC Bournemouth in dramatic style, with the spirit in this team driving us forward to secure a second successive win.

Jesse Marsch named an unchanged starting eleven, but one piece of team news was that Bamford had picked up an injury in training, so he wouldn’t even be gracing the substitutes’ bench. The Bournemouth ranks included our old boy Lewis Cook, who hasn’t had the career that looked likely when he left us, thanks to two serious injuries, but he’s still only 25, so there is still time for him to make an impact at the highest level.

We started the game where we left off at Anfield, with Summerville making a big impact, this time with a surging run into the box that was rudely interrupted by a clumsy challenge. A penalty was the result, and Rodrigo calmly stepped up to send Travers the wrong way. We thought we were building on the momentum from the Liverpool win, but it took only four minutes for this illusion to be rudely shattered.

A quick break from the visitors saw them outnumber the defenders we had on hand to deal with it, and with Kristensen drawn inside to help out in the centre, there was no one to challenge Tavernier when the ball came through to him on Bournemouth’s left. He accepted the invitation to pick his spot and send the ball past Meslier into the far corner, and suddenly the buoyant atmosphere inside Elland Road went completely flat.

And on 19 minutes Bournemouth took the lead, as our defensive frailties were exposed once again. A long ball over the top found Tavernier outsprinting Kristensen to get his shot in, and although Meslier saved it Tavernier was able to cut the ball back to Billing on the edge of the box. I thought for a second there wasn’t much danger with a number of defenders in front of him, but Billing was able to curl his shot round them into the top corner.

Leeds had plenty of possession for the rest of the first half, but were frustrated by Bournemouth’s game plan of getting all eleven players behind the ball and hitting us with the occasional counter-attack. One of which was close to putting them further in front when a corner was cleared and another long ball saw Meslier having to race out of his area to clear the danger with a well-timed challenge.

It was starting to look like a repeat of the Fulham game, and the team were booed off at half-time. Seemingly the Liverpool win was just a blip and normal service had been resumed. Harrison was the scapegoat of choice for the man sitting behind me, and he got his wish when the winger was ‘hooked’ at half time, though it has to be said that our narrow formation doesn’t suit him.

Gnonto was the replacement, but rather than take on Harrison’s duties as Aaronson’s whispering partner at set pieces, he stood further back on the touchline for two corners and a free kick while the American ignored him and played the ball straight into the middle. Consequently, I don’t think Gnonto had touched the ball when Bournemouth went further in front in the 48th minute.

They were still finding it all too easy to score against our defence, as Tavernier was left unchallenged yet again as he raced down their left, while Solanke got in front of Adams in the centre to send the ball inside the far post with a clever flick. Where were the proper central defenders? By now the 1500 or so Bournemouth fans were making most of the noise, taunting us with something like “1-0 and you messed it up!”

Once again it looked as though Jesse Marsch’s job would be on the line, but he responded by throwing another of our young guns into the fray, as Greenwood came on for the ineffectual Roca. And on the hour mark that change paid off. Kristensen went down the right and sent a cross over to Summerville beyond the far post.

He teed up Struijk, and when the Dutchman’s shot came back off a defender’s bottom it fell to Greenwood outside the area, and he curled a delightful shot into the top corner for his first senior Leeds goal. Suddenly there was belief inside Elland Road once again, and the whole atmosphere changed, with everyone getting behind the team once more.

I thought that Bournemouth might get jittery after losing to Tottenham’s comeback last week, and after the game I couldn’t resist having a look at one of their forums in the interest of research/to have a good laugh. One post said “It was like some screwball sci-fi film, were both teams swap brains and ability after 50 minutes”. They also had a go at their temporary boss for failing to react as the momentum of the game began to shift.

As the atmosphere cranked up things got a little heated on the pitch, with Rodrigo having a shoving match with Travers after the Bournemouth keeper refused to release the ball so we could take a set-piece. But his time-wasting would be in vain, as we grabbed the equaliser in the 68th minute, with our first goal direct from a corner since god knows when.

In a departure from normal practice we opted to have only one player in the corner and an extra man in the box, which paid dividends when one of their smallest defenders was left marking Cooper at the far post. So our captain was able to outjump Smith and get his header down and on target, where Travers was probably at fault for failing to keep it out.

Rather than sit back and take a draw that had looked unlikely at one stage we kept piling forward, though there was an anxious moment to endure when Staceyb got free down their right and sent his shot across the face of goal and just wide. To keep the momentum going Marsch sent Gelhardt on for Rodrigo, much to the latter’s displeasure.

This meant we had seven players on the field who were 22 or younger, and two of them were to combine for the best goal of the lot as we completed our comeback in the 84th minute. Gnonto picked up a clearing header well inside our own half and raced downfield past a couple of defenders before sending a perfectly weighted pass through to Summerville.

And the young Dutchman did the rest, smashing his shot into the roof of the net for his third goal in as many games, sending Elland Road into pandemonium. We even had some fireworks being let off in one of the gardens the other side of Elland Road, presumably by someone who hadn’t managed to get a ticket but must have been listening to the commentary of the game.

Marsch decided to shore up the defence and raise the average age of the side by sending Ayling on for Aaronson, while O’Neill belatedly made a couple of attacking substitutions to try to salvage something from the game. Meanwhile we enjoyed taunting the Bournemouth with “3-1 and you messed it up!” If you’re wondering why I’m not quoting the exact words, it’s because at least one news feed doesn’t pick up articles that contain swearing.

So I won’t mention the new chant about Gnonto which combines Italian foodstuffs with part of his anatomy. And we also had the hilarious sight of Travers rushing to get on with it after his time-wasting earlier in the game. When Gelhardt was booked for standing in front of a free kick he might have been asking “in a hurry now, are we?”

We still had four minutes of injury time to endure, but after a bit of pressure we managed to see the game out, and the final whistle signalled more fireworks both inside and outside the stadium. A video is doing the rounds of Victor Orta shushing some of the board’s earlier critics, which some fans have taken exception to, but I think is really funny. I love his passion, the same as I love Jesse Marsch’s passion.

Having lost a two-goal lead against Tottenham last week and Leeds today, Bournemouth are the first side in Premier League history to suffer back-to-back defeats in the competition despite leading by two goals in both games. They can't hang on to leads/Leeds, and that now works with either spelling.

It’s a game that will live long in the memory, and it lifts us to the dizzy heights of 13th, in a very tight bottom half of the table. Despite the euphoria of this victory, there are still a couple of issues that Jesse Marsch needs to address, with our defence still looking far too vulnerable and our narrow formation making it hard to break down sides who have come to defend, as we have to try to play the ball through a crowded midfield.

But maybe he’s learnt that our talented youngsters can do the business, so it’s time to get them onto the field right from the start.

Reuters



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