Leeds United 2-2 Brentford
Patrick Bamford climbed off the bench to score a late, late equaliser for Leeds in a topsy turvy Premier League clash with Thomas Frank’s Brentford.
After beating Crystal Palace in midweek this was a great opportunity for Leeds to continue their climb up the table and in a dominant first half Tyler Roberts gave them a deserved lead. But Brentford roared back and goals from Shandon Baptiste and Sergi Canos looked like the Bees had stung their hosts until Bamford’s 95th-minute strike saved the Whites.
Brentford’s Premier League 2021 results so far have been better than their most optimistic fans could have expected and the Bees have given themselves a good chance of survival, but this will have felt like a defeat to the Londoners.
Highlights of the game
The Bees were without their star man Ivan Toney who had tested positive for COVID 19 and they struggled to make inroads in the first half as Bryan Mbeuno plowed a lone path to the goal without his mate alongside. He tried his luck when he met a superb cross from Ethan Pinnock with a volley, but the ball flew high and wide. Then Leeds suffered a blow on 13 minutes when skipper Liam Cooper limped off having stubbed his foot in the turf. Jack Harrison came on and Luke Ayling moved to centre back.
The Bees pressed high to shut down Leeds’ space and there was little quality from either side, until the man of the moment changed all that. Raphinha is pure gold for Leeds, top-scoring and picking man-of-the-match awards by the bucket load. He scored the injury time winner against Crystal Palace in midweek and he was the man who opened up the Brentford defence on 27 minutes. The Brazilian sent a cross over from the left which was part cleared and it landed back at his feet. At the second time of asking he sent in a low cross which Tyler Roberts slotted home for his first goal of the season on his 100th appearance for Leeds.
That goal gave the Welshman confidence and when he picked up a ball from Dan James he unleashed a shot to force a fingertip save from Alvaro Fernandez.
The pre-match Leeds United vs Brentford betting odds predicted a home win and at the break it looked like plain sailing for the Whites. It had been a comfortable first half for Leeds but at 1-0 Brentford were still in the game so the hosts went in search of a second, and Fernandez made a brilliant save from Ayling’s header after the defender had met a pinpoint Raphinha cross.
But then a triple disaster hit the Whites.
First Kalvin Phillips went down injured with a muscular injury and had to be replaced by Mateusz Klich and then, totally against the run of play, the Bees equalised. Sergi Canos whipped in a cross which took a deflection to land at the feet of Shandon Baptiste some eight yards out, and he drilled his shot low past Illan Meslier and into the net for 1-1.
Canos should have made it 2-1 to Brentford but with the goal at his mercy he headed wide from a Mads Roerslev cross but, amazingly, he had another chance a minute later and this time he took it. It was a well worked goal which had Leeds rocking. Baptiste fed Mbeuno and he delivered an incisive pass which Canos fired high into the net to turn the match on its head.
So from being in total control Leeds were now chasing the game and Marcelo Bielsa threw Bamford on for his first appearance after injury. Roberts tried to create something but he hit his shot straight at Fernandez and then Raphinha let fly but his shot was way off target.
And then, in the final act of five minutes added time, Ayling flicked on a Raphinha corner and the ball hit Bamford on the knee and flew into the net off the underside of the crossbar.
Key statistics
This was the first top-flight meeting between Leeds and Brentford since 1947, a game the Bees won 2-1 and they were seconds away from matching that today.
It would have been tough on Leeds who had 63 percent possession and won the shot count by 13 to nine and six to three on target.
What’s next?
This was a big, big game for Leeds, particularly when you look at their next three fixtures. The Whites have away trips to Chelsea and Manchester City, before returning to Elland Road to host Arsenal. The SBOTOP football team will be all over these fixtures as the Whites try to pick up some more priceless points. Brentford have two home games to come; first they host Watford in a six-pointer, before the visit of Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United. They will be without Canos for the game against the Hornets as the Spanish midfielder picked up a yellow card which landed him a suspension.
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