Leeds United vs Burnley. Sky Bet Championship.
Elland RoadAttendance27,672.
Monday 10 August 2015 15:09, UK
Mirco Antenucci came off the Leeds bench to break the stalemate before Burnley's Sam Vokes denied the home side a season-opening win at Elland Road.
Italian striker Antenucci struck in the 83rd minute but Leeds had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the Sky Bet Championship tussle after Vokes soon levelled.
The opener from Leeds' top scorer last season was worth the wait as Antenucci struck a superb left-footed curler past Tom Heaton.
Vokes, who had a spell on loan at Leeds in the 2009/10 campaign, denied new home boss Uwe Rosler a winning start and ensured the team that dropped out of the Barclays Premier League in the summer avoided an early setback.
Stuart Dallas, a close-season buy from Brentford, quickly won over Leeds fans with an impressive debut and was a coat of paint away from introducing himself with a ninth-minute goal. The Northern Ireland international winger's close-range shot cannoned off Heaton's legs and agonisingly struck the underside of the bar.
Burnley had been the first to threaten in the contest when striker Lukas Jutkiewicz tried an audacious bicycle kick which cleared the bar as he appealed in vain for a free-kick.
Chris Wood, Leeds' former Leicester striker, battled tenaciously, with admirable support from Dallas and Sam Byram, but as Burnley got into their stride, Rosler's men survived two scares in rapid succession.
First Michael Kightly dragged his shot wide of the far post after a defensive slip-up by Giuseppe Bellusci in the 28th minute. Then Leeds failed to clear an in-swinging corner and Jelle Vossen's shot was somehow turned behind by the alert Marco Silvestri with Vossen expressing his disbelief.
When Byram created an inviting opening for Dallas, the lively winger chested the ball down and prepared to pull the trigger. However, former Chesterfield defender Tendayi Darikwa made a vital intervention on his debut.
Dallas then charmed Leeds fans again by winning the ball from George Boyd near the touchline and setting up a swift attack but the first half ended goalless.
Both teams were ruing their missed opportunities and Wood was the guilty man with the second half just six minutes old. Gaetano Berardi picked out Wood with a tempting cross from the right but the tall striker could not control the ball with the goal at his mercy and was left holding his head in his hands.
Alex Mowatt wasted a similarly clear-cut opportunity by firing wide of the right post when it seemed easier to score as Burnley survived by the skin of their teeth.
The Clarets needed to step up a gear and Jutkiewicz, still without a league goal after a year at Turf Moor, had Silvestri swooping low to his left to hold a powerful angled drive before Wood squandered his second chance for Leeds after being put through by Byram.
After 70 minutes Burnley replaced Vossen and Jutkiewicz with Marvin Sordell and Vokes, while Leeds sent on Antenucci for Dallas, who received a deserved ovation, before the rousing finale saw the teams exchange goals and each collect a first point of the season.
Leeds manager Uwe Rosler:
"I am very happy with the way we handled the first day of the season, the big crowd and the atmosphere. Everyone contributed to the cause and the tempo from the beginning was very high. On the chances we should have won the game but Burnley never gave up in the Premier League and they showed that same quality."
Burnley manager Sean Dyche:
"People kept asking how I was going to replace Danny (Ings) but that wasn't bad at all. Having said that, I am looking for goals from all parts of the team. It was a really tough fixture on paper and overall I think it was the right result for both teams, with lots of effort and desire. We came to Leeds with a never-say-die attitude, which really pleased me. We are still in the market for players, though we don't have the money paid by some clubs."
