Leeds United cruises to a 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday to reclaim top spot in the Championship under Daniel Farke's leadership
Manor Solomon struck early for Leeds, capitalizing on a costly error from James Beadle to ...
Manor Solomon struck early for Leeds, capitalizing on a costly error from James Beadle to give his side the lead. In the 88th minute, Largie Ramazani's impressive performance off the bench paid off with a well-deserved goal that doubled Leeds' advantage. As the game headed into stoppage time, Ao Tanaka's deft flick sealed the deal and put the final touches on a dominant performance.
The victory saw Leeds bounce back to winning ways in the league after successive draws and strengthened their automatic promotion bid while also extending their unbeaten run to 10 matches.
Leeds' control of proceedings limited Wednesday to very little in the way of clear-cut chances on under-fire Illan Meslier's goal and the 'keeper was not tested until the hour mark when he got down to keep out Djeidi Gassama.
Despite his early misjudgement that led to Solomon's goal, Beadle managed to make a number of vital stops to prevent the margin from widening. The Wednesday stopper kept out a rampant Daniel James with some vital saves.
Daniel Farke's side widened the gap on Burnley and Sunderland, who played out a draw on Friday night and moved back above Sheffield United, who beat Norwich 2-0 on Saturday afternoon.
It was the perfect start for Leeds who scored with their first real attempt on goal - and they had Beadle to thank for it. The Wednesday keeper mistimed his rush out in an effort to claim a loose ball ahead of Brendan Aaronson.
The 20-year-old got a touch on the ball, but it rolled favourably to Solomon, who could take his time and pick his spot to open the scoring.
Wednesday appeared to grow into the game but failed to take advantage of their short spell in the ascendancy, keeping possession well without testing Leeds.
After the break, Leeds put their foot on the gas. James tested Beadle with curling efforts from the edge of the area as well as dangerous balls into the box. Wednesday looked like they were surviving the onslaught but they eventually buckled under pressure, Ramazani's persistence paying off when he whacked in Leeds' second.
The home side were not done there as deep into stoppage time, two became three when a late corner pinballed in the box and found Tanaka, who turned in the ball to wrap up the contest.
The managers
Leeds' Daniel Farke:
"I was pleased with this win, well deserved, we dominated in all topics but it was still a tight game. We didn't give chances away and defended the few set-pieces we had.
"You could see that they played with confidence and freedom, there is no doubt that we deserved to win this game. It's important that you show consistency, it's a long road, and we have to keep going. There are good teams around us [in the league] and, for that, we have to show that consistency in the upcoming weeks and months.
Sheffield Wednesday's Danny Rohl:
"Between the first and second goal, we showed a proper fight against Leeds. We had good periods in the game where we felt like we dominated them, especially in the first half. It's tough to take but we played against the best team in the league. That is the difference between us and them."