Huddersfield Town 2 Leeds United 1: YEP jury verdict - Better team won on the day (unfortunately)

Keith Ingham

Huddersfield Town climbed above Leeds United with a 2-1 victory in a game that was marred by a ‘scuffle’ between Garry Monk and David Wagner after the winning goal was scored by Hefle.

Garry Monk made three changes, Vieira, Hernandez and Doukara coming in for Roofe, Sacko and O’Kane.

New boys Pedraza and Barrow started on the bench.

As expected it was an end-to-end opening to the game. Both teams, mind you, were guilty of misplaced passes.

Brown put the home side ahead when he capitalised on a ball into the back of the net. With their tails up, Town went for their visitors but it was Leeds who equalised with Chris Wood adding his 21st goal to his tally. 1-1 at the break.

The second half followed the same pattern as the first with both teams testing out each other without causing much trouble for the goalkeepers.

Town, though, had chances that were passed up.

Leeds’ new recruits both made second-half substitution appearances but neither of them could conjure up a chance for Wood to add to his tally.

The winner came in the last minute. Mooy’s deflected shot found Hefle, who slipped the ball past Green. The goal was over-celebrated by David Wagner and he clashed with Garry Monk when he returned to his technical area. The incident caused a mass piece of ‘handbags’ between the players and staff of both clubs. Maybe Wagner needs to curtail his over-exuberance, Monk certainly thought the Town manager lacked a ‘bit of class’. In both games this week I feel Leeds have struggled to get to the form they were in before the Sutton cup tie. A win is definitely needed next Saturday. Unfortunately, the better team won on Sunday.

Man of the match: Ronaldo Vieira.

WATCH - HIGHLIGHTS - See how Leeds United lost out to promotion rivals Huddersfield Town

David Watkins

A disappointing way to lose a game in which we did enough for a share of the points.

It was not a great performance and the home side shaded the statistics but still, to concede a goal that resulted from a poor deflected shot so late in the game is galling. Leeds lacked something in this game; the silky smoothness and probing passes normally supplied by Pablo Hernandez were missing and the little Spaniard had a poor game by his standards.

The rest pretty much did their jobs although no one really shone in the way Brown and Mooy did for the Terriers.

Leeds’ record against the top sides is beginning to look poor with Huddersfield getting the double over us and defeats to Newcastle and Brighton, and you do start to wonder if we have reached our level for the season; maybe fourth or fifth is the best we can achieve. If that is to be the case we still need to get back to winning ways next week when our old friend Mr Warnock comes calling.

Man of the match: Ronaldo Vieira.

Mike Gill

In the first half Huddersfield dominated but United appeared to be winning the war of attrition in midfield with Ronaldo Vieira and Liam Bridcutt mopping up most of it. Gaetano Berardi gave the ball away, leaving Pontus Jansson committed to a tackle which he won before leaving himself too much to do. Izzy Brown nipped in and opened the scoring. Berardi later made amends with a goal-saving block and Rob Green was also rock solid.

Pablo Hernandez had a second go at a free-kick floating the ball to Chris Wood who juggled it around the keeper to equalise.

In the second half, Leeds almost held on soaking up a huge amount of pressure until a minute before the end Michael Hefele slid in the winner after being put through by Aaron Mooy. The chaos that ensued was mostly caused by a hysterical David Wagner who decided to carry part of his celebration in front of the Leeds dugout. Less than classy behaviour!

Leeds were worth no more than a point and in the end paid the penalty for spending too much time on the back foot.

Man of the match: Ronaldo Vieira.

Matthew Evans

Had United been the ones scoring a late winner it would have been reported as a ‘smash-and-grab’ away win such was the lack of attacking threat from Leeds in the latter stages of the game.

Much of the pre-match talk from Huddersfield fans had been about their superior style of play coming up against an industrial Leeds side but, if that was true, the game should have suited United.

It was a fight that Town ultimately won through greater strength and determination. To be fair to United, they withstood most of what was thrown at them.

And it needed a fortunate deflection to win the tie, but Rob Green being our best player tells the story.

Man of the match: Rob Green.

Gary Newbould

United slipped to a cruel derby defeat when a lucky deflection saw the home side grab the winner in the final minute.

Not for the first time Mr Wagner felt it appropriate to enter the playing field, both after the goal and after being sent to the stands.

Man of the match: Ronaldo Vieira.

Stephen Clark

Leeds might have lost the battle but in terms of the promotion race, Garry Monk’s men remain in the thick of things.

A point was probably the most Leeds deserved from the game, but the cruel nature of the winning goal certainly made the defeat hard to swallow. What the team can take from the game is an incentive to beat Huddersfield when it really matters in the play-offs, and David Wagner’s antics following the winning goal will be a real motivation. Huddersfield fans will be celebrating long into the week by beating us. Leeds will dust themselves off and concentrate on the season. There’s still a real chance for us to go up and we shouldn’t dwell on this loss.

Man of the match: Liam Bridcutt.