71 touches, 11 duels won: Another monster display from Leeds United bargain Leeds United came away from a dramatic encounter away at Swansea City with a huge 4-3 victory to move top of the table.
Leeds United secured a thrilling 4-3 victory away at Swansea City, moving to the top of the Championship table. The win came after Sunderland and Sheffield United had played to a draw the previous day, meaning Leeds knew that a victory would take them to first place.
The match against Luke Williams’ Swansea was expected to feature two strong defensive sides, but the seven-goal thriller proved otherwise. Leeds’ trip to South Wales got off to a disastrous start when Matt Grimes’ cross found an unmarked Harry Darling at the back post, and Darling calmly headed home to give Swansea the lead.
Leeds responded by exploiting Swansea’s high defensive line, with Dan James setting up Manor Solomon to score his first goal of the season, leveling the score. However, Swansea regained the lead just before the break when Liam Cullen netted for the hosts.
The second half saw Leeds come out strong. James played a key role again, as his pass to Joel Piroe was intercepted by Swansea’s Ben Cabango, who inadvertently turned the ball into his own net. Solomon then doubled his tally, finishing neatly after Leeds broke through Swansea’s high line once more.
With the game nearing its end, Swansea dramatically equalized in the 89th minute through Florian Bianchini, but Leeds responded almost immediately. A minute later, Willy Gnonto capitalized on another poorly organized defensive line, finishing under goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux to put Leeds back in front.
The three points saw Leeds climb to the top of the table with 32 points from 16 games, although just two points separate the top four teams. While James’ two assists and Solomon’s brace will grab the headlines, Ao Tanaka was once again excellent in midfield. The Japanese international was a constant presence, both in possession and in recovering the ball, and was deservedly named Sky Sports’ Player of the Match. With each passing game, the £2.95 million signing is proving to be an excellent acquisition for Leeds.
