Tough PR week ends drama free as Leeds United march on against Huddersfield Town - Graham Smyth's Verdict

Contrary to a popular song from opposition fans the county over, one that greets the slightest hint of problems for Leeds United, Marcelo Bielsa's men had the look of a group of men who have it very much together in their 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town.
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The Yorkshire derby witnessed a goal of the season contender, the highest Elland Road attendance and some of the most lavish praise poured at the feet of Bielsa and his players by an opposition manager since the Argentine made the Championship his home

But other than a few minor COVID-19 related alterations to pre-match protocol, it was very much business as usual in LS11, for a businesslike football team.

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When Leeds last met the Terriers there was an aesthetically pleasing volley from Gjanni Alioski and a win that opened up an eight-point lead over third-placed Fulham.

The return fixture was just three minutes old when Luke Ayling crashed a volley in off the crossbar and set United on their way to a victory that put a seven point cushion between them and the Cottagers.

With five wins in a row, none of which have contained a single opposition goal, Leeds are ticking along nicely, ominously and ticking potentially tricky games off, one by one.

They have gone cold, in a way, and taken much of the emotion and hype out of the equation, entirely to their benefit. There is no talk that could lead to accusations of arrogance or complacency, Bielsa greets each win in his post match press conferences like the manager of a team easing mathematically clear of relegation into a comfortable mid-table position. He left the waxing lyrical to Danny Cowley, who like many of his peers is absolutely certain the Whites are going up.

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Cowley wondered aloud what it would be like for a Premier League side to come up against this Leeds team, how they would cope.

Luke Ayling crashing home a wonderful volley against Huddersfield Town, to put Leeds United 1-0 up (Pic: Jonathan Gawthorpe)Luke Ayling crashing home a wonderful volley against Huddersfield Town, to put Leeds United 1-0 up (Pic: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
Luke Ayling crashing home a wonderful volley against Huddersfield Town, to put Leeds United 1-0 up (Pic: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

There is little any team, at any level could have done about the goal that signalled the beginning of the end for Huddersfield early in Saturday's game.

Jack Harrison, who over the course of the season has tirelessly worked his way into a position to be able to boast genuine Premier League potential as an individual, supplied a cross from the left wing and Ayling greeted it on the full with a kiss of his right boot. The ball rocketed past Jonas Lossl and, as if that in itself wasn't enough, clattered the crossbar on its way in. Perfection.

The roar that greeted it was equal parts disbelief and joy.

A first assist of 2020 was just reward for Harrison, who has created chance after chance for Leeds of late, and Ayling continues to look like a man possessed with the idea of dragging the Whites over the line.

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If Huddersfield were rocked by the goal, they did well to hide it. They came to play football and worked some nice moves in and around Leeds' area, albeit without hurting the Whites, a Trevoh Chalobah shot that got stuck in between Illan Meslier's knees the best of it.

United were making life difficult for themselves some of the time with play that was below their usual standard, but Huddersfield played a part too, keeping three or four men high up the pitch and picking and choosing when to press.

But when Leeds did exit their own half cleanly they looked dangerous and very nearly created a goal every bit as good as Ayling's, the right-back clipped the ball to the left side of the area where Harrison hammered it low and goalward, but a fraction wide.

Twenty-five seconds after the restart Harrison came close again, heading a Stuart Dallas cross for the top corner, Jonas Lossl plucking it from the air.

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Just like at Hull, Leeds had more menace about them in the second half and began to take over.

Lossl pulled off an even better save on 51 minutes, flinging himself to his left to palm out Ben White's header from a Pablo Hernandez free-kick, but Bamford was in exactly the right place to tuck in the rebound from a couple of yards and double Leeds' advantage.

Now the Whites had complete control.

This time the goal did rock the visitors, visibly and they very nearly went under. Leeds had them pinned and were teeing off.

Harrison sent an audacious effort wide, Hernandez had a shot blocked, so too did Ayling.

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Just like at Hull, Harrison curled one onto the woodwork and Hernandez had another blocked.

All of that came in the space of four frenetic minutes.

Huddersfield had a couple of little spells but never much more than that. Emile Smith Rowe's long range effort bounced up and surprised Meslier, but Gaetano Berardi was there, as he has been all season, when called upon.

When Leeds attacked, there was a much keener sense that something would happen, that their efforts would be rewarded.

Hernandez was turning it on, in the final third at least, and Costa was sniffing a goal, haring onto the Spaniard's deft touch in the box and seeing another shot blocked.

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The result had long been settled before the final 10 minutes, but Huddersfield kept plugging away and left themselves open to counter attacks, only a slight lack of care from replacement Tyler Roberts letting them off the hook on a pair of occasions.

Even the sight of Richard Stearman going down under Ayling's stoppage time challenge couldn't dampen the triumphant mood in Elland Road, referee Oliver Langford deciding there was no foul, much to Huddersfield chagrin.

The full-time whistle brought scenes that Whites are once again becoming very accustomed to.

And what might concern the teams who would most benefit from a Leeds collapse is the minimum of fuss with which the five wins and the ascent to the top of the table have been achieved.

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Injury has reduced Kalvin Phillips, one of the division's finest players, to the role of hype man for two of the last three games and still Leeds haven't missed a beat.

Even after a bad week, in PR terms, due to the Kiko Casilla situation - not that you'd know it from Angus Kinnear's jovial programme notes - this victory left Elland Road feeling drama free.

It's all a far cry from the meltdown that ensued after the Forest defeat.

Things are not falling apart, they appear to be falling into place for Leeds United.

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