LFL: LUFC

This was a great battling win and we’ve made it to forty points.

BEFORE

This is going to be a tough challenge for us and if we can get anything from the game, I'd be very happy. Leeds are looking safe enough from relegation and like us are still in the F.A. Cup so they've also had a good season. They lost narrowly to Man City on Saturday but have been strong at home overall. There are rumours that Roefs is injured and won't be available this evening and if so, it'll be a baptism of fire for Ellborg. We looked a lot better in the first-half against Bournemouth and if we can get an early goal today, I think we might well be able to manage a draw. Calvert-Lewin always looks good for a goal and I was very impressed by Gnonto when we've played them recently. I'll be watching the match with other members of the London Branch and I hope there'll be a much better turnout than there was on Saturday when I was the only one of us in the bar. To add extra spice to the evening, Port Vale are playing Bristol City in their 4th Round tie so we'll finally know who we'll be up against on Sunday. Match prediction (with fingers crossed): 1-1.

I got the team-news on the way to the venue and the rumours were true. Ellborg was starting in place of Roefs and to add to that Xhaka was only on the bench. O’Nien and Angulo were both starting while Talbi was also among the subs. Gnonto was on the bench for them and the less I saw of him the better. I got to the bar at 7.00 and soon a few other members of the Faithful arrived. There were at least ten of us present as the game kicked-off. The two lads next to me predicted 2-0 and 2-1 to Leeds.

THE MATCH

We were playing in our black away-strip. We were awarded a free-kick in the first minute but it only led to a free-kick to Leeds. Gudmundsson cut through us easily down the left but we managed to stop his cross. In the away game last season Leeds repeatedly got round us down the flanks and put low crosses in and I feared that we’d have a repeat tonight. In the eighth minute following a long throw from our left Gudmunsson got a shot away from outside the box but it was well wide. Ellborg set up a Leeds attack because of a poor clearance but we got away with it. Leeds won the first corner of the game in the fifteenth and it led to a corner on the other side. That one soon led to a third corner, on the same side, and Ellborg got his hands on the ball while on the ground. In the nineteenth Ellborg went down injured, to much booing from the home fans, but he was able to continue. Next thing Mayenda got a great shot on target that Darlow in goal palmed away but then we saw that the flag was up and replays showed that he was well offside. It was good to see that he looked so sharp anyway. 

I was happy with the way the first quarter of the game had gone as we’d looked comfortable enough in defence despite Leeds doing most of the pressing. Just before the half-hour we set up a rare attack but it only culminated in Alderete punting the ball straight to Darlow and that was that. Geertruida conceded a free-kick just outside our box in the thirty-second and Ellborg did very well to dive to his right and push Stach’s kick out for a corner. We won our first corner in the fortieth and though Ballard got a header on target, it was cleared eventually. Two minutes of added-time were announced and I thought there’d be more. We conceded a free-kick just outside our box and O’Nien was yellow-carded into the bargain. Strach’s kick hit our wall and as we broke away the whistle went for half-time. So far, so good. 

As we kicked off again the time was getting closer to Xhaka’s appearance and that could only be good. We again won a free-kick in the first minute but it again led to a free-kick to Leeds. Angulo was in a one on one with Darlow but the latter got there first and next thing we conceded a free-kick just to the right of our box but that resulted in a free-kick to us for a foul on Mayenda. The home fans were getting edgy as we won a few free-kicks and then in the fifty-fourth I saw Xhaka getting ready to come on. He soon came on in the company of Isidor and they replaced Geertruida and Mayenda. Incidentally the Port Vale v Bristol City match was goalless at half-time but they’d started after us. As the hour-mark came and went we still hadn’t mustered much in the way of shots on target. Leeds soon made their first change, bringing on Nmecha for Gruev. Leeds had the ball in our net in the sixty-fourth following a free-kick but it was ruled out for a clear offside. I love VAR… well, sometimes. There was much rejoicing in the bar. 

Very soon we had another VAR check, this time for a handball incident in their box and just to add to the tension, the telly in the bar decided to freeze for a while. When the screen came to life again Diarra was getting ready to take the spot-kick. Darlow made contact with it but he couldn’t stop it going in and we were 1-0 up. I still love VAR… for a while. It was do or die for Leeds and in the seventy-third Ellborg made another good save, from a Bogle shot. Gnonto came on for Aaronson and it was going to be a very long final fifteen minutes plus whatever added-time there would be, and there’s usually loads these days. The stream went off again and actually I don’t know whether that was a good thing or not as an air of calm suddenly suffused the room. I kept checking BBC Sport and it remained 0-1 in the eighty-fourth minute. We then got the stream back and all I could hear was the wonderful sound of the home fans booing so I knew things couldn’t be that bad. With a minute or so on the clock we brought on Traore with Angulo going off and I have to say that Angulo had had a good game, helping out at the back when required. 

Gnonto was booked for smashing into O’Nien and then twelve minutes of added-time were announced. I’ve no idea how they got twelve minutes - maybe because of the lost TV time in the bar (ha ha)? I really could have done without it but we were starting to look threatening. Traore was injured and had to be replaced by Rigg. Seven minutes to go – well, who knew? Leeds won a corner in the ninety-sixth which Ellborg ended up smothering. Ellborg held a powerful header following another long Leeds throw from our left. Ninety seconds to go and we had our arses to the wall but we were holding fast with Alderete in particular battling like a Trojan. With twenty seconds to go we conceded a corner and Ellborg grabbed the ball to much rejoicing in the bar. Finally that whistle went and we’d with a great deal of shouting and, it has to be said, a bit of man-hugging, in the bar. Of course we had to stick around to see what happened in the Port Vale match...