'Shambolic' - Leeds United fans agree on one man's performance during Aston Villa stalemate

ANDREW DALTON

Twenty-nine days we have waited for a game and it turned out to be a very good point for Leeds playing with 10 men for the majority of the second half.

Leeds looked to have the best of the chances in the first half with Rodrigo flashing a shot just wide. The game was stop and start throughout which I thought was down to an inconsistent performance from referee Stuart Attwell. Meslier had to be alert to deny Watkins as the sides went level pegging at the break. Leeds were reduced to 10 men when Sinisterra saw red after a second yellow for blocking a free-kick. Leeds produced a resilient performance from there on in and they rode their luck when Coutinho hit the post and Watkins flashed the rebound wide.

Man of the match: Illan Meslier.

ANDY RHODES

I think it’s fair to say we’ll see better games than that this season. It obviously wasn’t vintage stuff but in the circumstances it will go down as a point well earned.

As soft as Sinisterra’s second yellow was, it was deserved but the consistency wasn’t there with similar misdemeanours by our opponents going unpunished.You feared the worst when Sinisterra received his marching orders but it was a battling, resolute performance by Leeds, one that many fans wouldn’t have thought they were capable of.Defensive solidity hasn’t been Leeds’ strength in the last year or so, but they showed how they’ve changed in the last few months.Up front, Leeds could have scored in the first half through Rodrigo who shone on his return, but after the red card United were never likely to threaten their opponents.

Leeds will regroup and go again at Crystal Palace next week, when hopefully they can have a better go at it.

Man of the match: Illan Meslier.

KEITH INGHAM

Leeds returned to action with a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa but this was ‘The Stuart Attwell’ show, the referee sent Luis Sinisterra off in the first couple of minutes of the second half for his second yellow card offence.

I’ve seen some shambolic displays from officials but this was high on the list of really bad ones.

The match was largely forgettable thanks to it never being allowed to flow thanks to Mr Attwell. The closest Leeds came to a goal was in the final minutes of the game when substitute Patrick Bamford set up Mat Klich but his effort was deflected over by a Villa defender’s leg. Rodrigo also was an inch or so from meeting a Sinisterra cross in the first half.

Leeds were thankful for a couple of saves from Meslier, especially the late one from Watkins. Coutinho also hit a post and Watkins put the rebound wide. A very forgettable 90 plus minutes but at least Leeds came away with a point.

Man of the match: Illan Meslier.

DAVID WATKINSWell, the jury managed it again! With everyone predicting a Leeds win we once again failed to live up to our expectations! It is uncanny how we do that.

This game always looked like a goalless draw from the early moments with neither side carving out any real gilt-edged chances.

Then, minutes after the break it was heads-in-hands time as Luis Sinisterra, already on a yellow card, hung out a boot to prevent Villa from taking a quick free-kick and off he went. I for one thought that might be curtains for us but we dug in deep and somehow, with the help of the woodwork, Illan Meslier and some poor Villa finishing got to the finish line to earn what, in the end, was a creditable point.

It was another game spoiled by a poor referee with Leeds somehow being penalised for twice as many fouls as Aston Villa and with yet another side coming to Elland Road intent on slowing the game.

Man of the match: Marc Roca.

MIKE GILL

Aston Villa came for a draw and returned with one.

Time-wasting from the tenth minute made their intentions clear.

In the end 10-man Leeds had to be happy with a draw themselves.The only mercy was that Villa did not steal a win.

Neither side caused too much danger but Villa had the better of the squandered chances.

This was a poor advertisement for our favourite game and maybe Luis Sinisterra stayed around too long before picking up a second yellow card which put his colleagues under considerable pressure.

Positives to take from this game have to be the Liam Cooper-Robin Koch Partnership; the intact home record and the point.

A trip to Selhurst Park is next up for Leeds United and this will surely be a more open encounter.

Time to put on the shooting boots.

Man of the match: Liam Cooper.