|
Leeds |
4-1 |
Wolves |
Leeds United moved off the foot of the table and gave themselves hope of avoiding the drop following a 4-1 victory over fellow strugglers Wolves at Elland Road.
Alan Smith's close range strike put the home side ahead with Ioan Ganea levelling matters before Dominic Matteo, James Milner and Mark Viduka sealed the victory.
The Whites' Premiership future would have looked bleak had they not won the game, although they have given themselves a chance of survival with the three points.
The visitors were under pressure early with Smith forcing Paul Jones to scramble the ball away after he initially blocked Mark Viduka's effort from Milner's cross.
Just when it looked like Leeds might not make their pressure tell Smith was on hand to bundle the ball over the line from close-range after Matteo flicked on Jermain Pennant's ball into the middle.
No sooner had they taken the lead before Wolves struck back immediately with Ganea latching onto Carl Cort's knock-down and drilling a 20-yard shot past Paul Robinson.
It was almost two in quick succession, however Colin Cameron failed to hit the target after hitting Robinson's punch first time over the bar.
Moments after Smith was inches from connecting with Pennant's cross, Matteo was perfectly placed to drive home Jones's poor punch under pressure for a slender half-time advantage.
Viduka came the closest to adding to Leeds' tally after the break, however the Australian firstly saw his driven shot deflected wide by Smith and his cheeky chip drifted over the bar from outside the area.
Milner then bagged his first goal at Elland Road this season when we connected with Smith's drilled cross-shot at the far post to give the home side crucial breathing space.
Wolves naturally began pushing men forward in the hope of pulling a goal back however it only succeeded in giving more space for Leeds to run into.
Smith firstly shot wide after being played in by Milner, while Viduka crashed a header off the bar from close-range with Pennant blazing over the rebound.
Viduka rounded off a fine personal display on the evening when he turned inside the box before unleashing a powerful shot past Jones at his near post.
The one-sided scoreline may have been a little hard on Wolves, who caused massive problems for Leeds in the first half, however the Yorkshire side fully deserved the hard-fought win.
| Leeds United | Wolves | |
| Possession % | 55% | 45% |
| Goals | 4 | 1 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 3 |
| Shots off target | 12 | 4 |
| Blocked shots | 3 | 2 |
| Corners | 4 | 3 |
| Fouls | 16 | 16 |
| Offsides | 4 | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 2 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
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