Leeds United 3-0 Tranmere Rovers (League One / Third Division)
Leeds ‘only’ score the three goals
Unbeaten home run since January continues
Higgs – Crowe, Marques, Kisnorbo, Hughes – Snodgrass (Robinson), Howson (c), Doyle (Kilkenny), Johnson – Becchio, Beckford (Grella). Unused Subs: – Ankergren, Michalik, Prutton, Showumni.
Goals: – (LUFC), Johnson (15), Beckford (35), Becchio (86)
Att: – 21,692
Three goals scored was scant justice for the Leeds United team as they turned in one of the best performances seen at Elland Road for years, helped in part by a stubborn Tranmere who failed to alter their game plan.
So comfortable were Leeds and so woeful were the visitors that long before the end of the game both sets of fans had lost interest in the competitive aspect and simply pondered the missed chances by Leeds – who had turned it into an art form.
The bare statistics of a Johnson header on the quarter hour, a Beckford side-foot past the wrong-footed ‘keeper 20 minutes later and a Becchio header at the death – set up via Johnson’s rasping free-kick which rebounded off the bar – do not begin to convey the utter supremacy that Leeds held throughout the match.
The first warning sign came after 12 seconds when Beckford was put through one-on-one with Luke Daniels in the Tranmere goal only to be denied by a good save from the West Brom loanee.
Beckford then became the first of many players to become acquainted with the woodwork when Doyle’s superb play sent him through in the fourth minute only to see his shot hit the right-hand post and watch in frustration as the rebound evaded the stretching Doyle who had followed in.
Beckford also fired over from inside the Tranmere area following a good work down the Leeds right and a cross which found the United marksman in acres of space, however, his swivel turn and shot merely troubled the spectators in the South Stand.
The inevitable happened shortly after when Crowe received a great ball from Howson and had enough time to pick his cross which found Becchio. The Argentinean’s header was brilliantly turned away by Daniels, only for Johnson to react quickest to slide the ball in from an acute angle (15).
It was harsh on Daniels, who deserved an award for keeping the score down to three but it was simply what Leeds deserved.
As well as saving smartly from both Beckford and then Becchio after being unable to hold the former’s first shot, Daniels also provided the asset for Rovers’ only serious attack of the first half, when his clearance caused Marques hesitation and allowed the ball to fall invitingly for former Leeds striker Thomas-Moore who saw his effort brilliantly blocked by the recovering Patrick Kisnorbo.
That was one of the two attacks which Tranmere produced in the entire game, the second of which took place in the final minute of the game when Higgs was forced into a smart save down to his right and the net result of which still produced a Leeds attack where sub Micky Grella was sent clear by Crowe’s clearance and turned the Tranmere defence inside out seeing his first shot blocked and his second hit the side netting when nearly everybody in the ground thought hew had scored his first competitive goal for Leeds.
Beckford’s own personal duel with Daniels was gaining momentum and the striker ultimately made the Merseysiders pay for more poor defending when Goodison failed to intercept Andy Hughes’ long ball, leaving Beckford with the opportunity to score, which he did, sliding the ball past Daniels’ statuesque body – even then Beckford needed the post’s help to deflect the ball in (35).
Bradley Johnson, still on a high after his first goals of the season clearly fancied his chances of improving his goal tally when he was sent through against Daniels, but his lack of composure meant his shot was placed easily to Daniels’ right-side which the ‘keeper half-blocked, leaving Johnson holding his head in his hands.
For the second Saturday in succession, the Leeds faithful had the pantomime villain they were thirsting for when Michael Ricketts emerged on to the scene, but any hope that he could break his duck at Elland Road with a visiting team was given short shrift by Leeds, who relentlessly pressed Tranmere and were able to dictate the game at least 10 metres inside the Tranmere half.
The visitors were architects of their own downfall, John Barnes expected every attack to involve sweeping football and to be built up from the back, but as Leeds fans could have pointed out to the ex-England star, former Liverpool players who try to impose a pattern of play on a team which does not have enough quality or enough time afforded to them at this level will achieve nothing but failure.
Almost every time Tranmere were in possession they looked for the next man to pass to and Daniels distributed to the closest player, no matter how many Leeds players were around him. Leeds simply harassed Rovers at every chance, no mean feat given the stifling heat.
Beckford’s afternoon frustrations were once more being taken out on the woodwork, this time the crossbar coming to Tranmere’s aid and then moments later an exquisite overhead kick was deflected wide of goal.
It was not simply Beckford who was peppering the Tranmere goal with shots, Kisnorbo hit a hopeful shot which took a deflection and forced Daniels into a brilliant one-handed save to tip the shot around his left post, while Jonny Howson also went close with an effort which sailed over the goal, dipping too late, then Daniels continued his heroics much to Johnson’s anguish.
When Daniels was beaten from a Snodgrass corner, Becchio headed at the post, saw the rebound hit him and then smuggled around the post by the defender on the line.
It was the 86th minute when the Tranmere goal was finally breached; Johnson hammered a free-kick as hard as possible only to see it come back off the crossbar with Daniels beaten. Happily the rebound was met by Becchio’s header who returned the ball into the net with interest (86).
The goal was the least that Becchio deserved, whose all round play was superb and his tenacity demonstrated when he lost the ball when one v one with a defender, and still had the desire to hound the three Tranmere defenders it needed to surround him and clear the ball out for a throw-in.
Even after that goal Leeds were not finished as sub Grella, on for Beckford, could and maybe should have given the scoreline added gloss. Leeds will play a lot worse and win by a greater margin, the only silver lining was that the chances missed in this game did not prevent them from gaining the three points to keep up their 100% winning record.
MOTM: – Bradley Johnson – Involved in everything and could/maybe should have scored more than the opening goal. He’s starting to look like a Leeds player and seems to be fitting into the jigsaw. Becchio was a paper-width away from taking the award, but Johnson just shades it.
