Huddersfield Town vs Leeds United. Sky Bet Championship.
The John Smith's StadiumAttendance23,805.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash
Saturday 7 December 2019 18:22, UK
Leeds went top of the Championship after a clinical 2-0 victory over Huddersfield in the West Yorkshire derby at the John Smith's Stadium.
Huddersfield edged a scrappy first half which saw Mateusz Klich hit the post for Leeds early before a shaky Kiko Casilla tipped over Steve Mounie's powerful header and then presented an open goal to Karlan Grant before he was saved by Luke Ayling's brave clearance.
Ezgjan Alioski opened the scoring with a classy left-footed volley, and the visitors doubled their lead after a fine move through Pablo Hernandez's stooping header.
The Terriers wasted presentable chances through Grant and Matty Daly but Leeds held on to leapfrog West Bromwich Albion at the top of the Championship with their sixth successive victory.
Huddersfield started brighter, with the home fans in fine voice, but Leeds fashioned the first chance. Hernandez found Klich in space from a clever corner routine, but the midfielder's first-time low effort slammed against the woodwork.
Juninho Bacuna then had a shot well blocked by Ayling, before the hosts came close from a set piece, Mounie holding off marker Gaetano Berardi to nod towards goal but Casilla parried over well.
Casilla then rushed rashly off his line from a long ball, and when the ball deflected off Mounie to the lurking Grant, Leeds captain Ayling got his head in the way to spare his goalkeeper's blushes.
With Christopher Schindler, Bacuna and Elias Kachunga going down under some full-blooded challenges, Klich and Stuart Dallas were booked in quick succession just before the interval.
Shortly after the break North Macedonia international Alioski scored with a sweetly struck first-time volley after Mounie nodded away Hernandez's corner.
Klich then found Dallas, who manoeuvred a flicked cross through home goalkeeper Kamil Grabara for Bamford to steer into an empty net, with Leeds unlucky as replays showed the linesman incorrectly flagged the Northern Irish international offside.
With the game opening up, Grabara smartly denied another Bamford header from a teasing Jack Harrison cross before Casilla blocked Grant's point-blank header from Josh Koroma's centre with a superb reflex save a minute later.
Leeds then scored a decisive second with a swift counter-attack. The ball was moved quickly on to Alioski, who played in Harrison before the Manchester City loanee bent in a delightful ball from which Hernandez could not miss.
The hosts then wasted two fine chances to reduce the deficit, Grant powering a header wide with Casilla in no man's land before 18-year-old substitute Daly placed a shot inches wide with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot in the last chance of the game.
The effervescent wideman has been a revelation since being converted from winger to full-back and scored the crucial opening goal with a crisp, finely-taken volley.
He was key in the second goal too, setting Harrison free with a fine through ball, but never shirked his defensive duties and was was not afraid of putting his foot in.
Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa said: "We defended set-pieces badly, but our first goal made it easier to develop the play.
"In the first half we should have created more chances, but we had opportunities and couldn't end them very well. We struggled with our last pass when we arrived in good positions, but it's good to have chances rather than not.
"The second half was different, but we had problems in both halves with set-pieces."
Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley added: "We tried to hurt them in the spaces behind and I thought we showed good penetration at times - but we weren't able to get good value for chances, which we needed to.
"It's been a learning curve in football because Marcelo Bielsa is a pioneer in football.
"It's not terminal here, but there is a storm. But we have to roll with the punches and get over these disappointments."
The two sides next play on Tuesday evening - hosts Huddersfield travel to Charlton, while Leeds travel to East Yorkshire to face Hull. Both games are available to watch on Sky Sports Football Red Button from 7.40pm.
