Leeds United vs Queens Park Rangers. Sky Bet Championship.
Elland RoadAttendance32,663.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Leeds United and Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road on Wednesday night | Crysencio Summerville's ninth-minute strike earns all three points for Daniel Farke's men
Wednesday 4 October 2023 23:20, UK
Crysencio Summerville's early goal ensured Leeds returned to winning ways in the Championship with a 1-0 victory over QPR at Elland Road.
The first half seemed too easy for the hosts who were looking to make it consecutive home wins for the first time this season and had their opener inside 10 minutes thanks to Summerville.
The Whites missed a handful of chances in the second period through Patrick Bamford, Dan James and Pascal Struijk but held on to register their second home success of the campaign after goalkeeper Asmir Begovic was sent off in stoppage time.
Leeds opened the scoring in the ninth minute when QPR were dispossessed in the middle of the park and Georginio Rutter slid through to Summerville who lifted over Begovic.
Daniel Farke's side were aiming to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to Southampton at the weekend and they sensed blood in the early stages of the encounter - Summerville's inswinging corner met the head of Liam Cooper who nodded just wide.
QPR were struggling for form and it showed in the opening quarter of the match. Leeds could have had another when Rutter set up Summerville for a second time but his effort was somehow blocked behind.
The visitors failed to make any impression in the first 45 but had their first sight of goal when Sinclair Armstrong raced through but his cross-shot ran comfortably out of play.
With just a one-goal margin, there was a shift in the atmosphere around the ground and QPR registered their first shot on target in the 66th minute when space opened up for Ilias Chair but his effort from 20 yards was pouched by Illan Meslier.
Substitutes Bamford and James provided some impetus off the bench and Leeds could have had a second, though the latter's deflected shot was saved easily by Begovic with 15 minutes to play.
Two minutes later Bamford latched on to Rutter's long ball forward before his first-time effort was parried behind as Leeds looked to turn the screw.
Leeds enjoyed their best spell of the game towards the end of the second half and moments after James' goal-bound deflected cross was turned behind by Begovic, they ought to have scored again but Struijk somehow blazed over from three yards following a corner.
Leeds' slender lead remained precarious and QPR almost made them pay with two minutes left when Jimmy Dunne knocked a long ball on to the onrushing boot of Lyndon Dykes but Meslier was on hand to keep the hosts' clean sheet intact.
QPR were reduced to 10 men after Begovic brought last man Bamford down outside the area with the goal at his mercy and Dykes was forced to take the goalkeepers' gloves for stoppage time, which Leeds saw out to move into the play-off places.
Leeds' Daniel Farke:
"I am really happy and pleased. I told the lads I am proud because you can be on a great spell like we were on before Southampton and after one bad result, the next game is very difficult. The confidence is not there like it was before and to grind out a result it's never champagne or football fireworks, it's always hard work. To bring this tight lead over the line and be there again with a clean sheet, a win, is fantastic and in this type of game you have to be there to be able to celebrate."
"When you don't score the second goal the opponent believes there is a chance. Because you don't score a second goal it gets more nervous. We dominated every stat, but one scruffy situation in the second half saw a ball go through and thank God Illan (Meslier) was in the right position."
QPR's Gareth Ainsworth:
"We've had a couple of collapses in my time so resilience wise I'm very proud of the boys. They gave everything, I asked for a bit more output, bit more of the committed work rate, I haven't seen enough of that this season and we have that tonight. I think we will finish way higher than what people think.
"He (Begovic) does not touch him (Bamford). I've had verification from both players that there's no contact. Patrick's a great lad and he's just jumped out the way and the referee has seen it as he thought he caught him. We may be able to get it overturned, I don't know."
