YEP Jury: Resolute Leeds United show true grit on a nerve-jangling afternoon

DAVID WATKINS

Oh my word that was a tension filled game! It was a typical roller-coaster day at Elland Road, with the lows of two poor goals given away and a penalty missed and the highs of our usual domination of possession and three well worked goals.

We were level in this game for 43 minutes, behind for another 40 and only in front for the final 7. Inevitably the 40 minutes we were in arrears were the worst for the heart, as for the majority of that time the news from Bramall Lane was that Sheffield United were either ahead or level.

Then, just when Luke Ayling powered home a header to level things up a second time, blow me down, Scott Hogan was putting Sheffield United ahead again! But football is a funny old game and at the precise moment that Pablo slotted home the winner, down the road in Sheffield, Andreas Weimann banged in his hat-trick goal to sink the Blades!

If the last seven games are all going to be like this then I’m going to have to borrow our village defibrillator!

Man of the match: Pablo Hernandez.

MATTHEW EVANS

It was a game that had echoes of last season’s dramatic capitulation but, thankfully, came with a much happier ending. The noise for the winner was raw emotion.

Whatever happens this season we have a team to be proud of.

We finally have a side that can cope with making mistakes, being below par on the day and playing through the amazing tension that can hang in the air inside Elland Road when the football really matters.

And it mattered on Saturday. Don’t underestimate how important it was to overtake Sheffield United again at the first attempt. We didn’t make it easy but, do we ever?

The win can be attributed, in large part, to Luke Ayling hitting form again, Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison growing into their roles with every game and a match winning performance from the maestro, Pablo Hernandez who is dragging us towards promotion week by week.

Next up is a trip to Birmingham City next Saturday.

Man of the match: Pablo Hernandez.

KEITH INGHAM

Goodness me, can my poor old heart take another seven games of this excitement? Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Millwall sent most older fans, including me, home in search of tablets to calm their nerves.

The win, coupled with Sheffield United’s 3-2 defeat, meant Leeds leapfrogged their South Yorkshire rivals back to second place in the Championship.

There have been many ‘thrillers’ this season but maybe none as important as this game.

I remember distinctly looking at a fellow member of the press when Millwall went 2-1 up, Sheffield, I think were 2-1 up and mutually we both looked crestfallen. But, by the end we were jumping for joy.

Let’s not kid ourselves, Leeds have played better but not got the result their labours deserved but the will to win was there for all to see and the reaction was one that nearly moved me to tears such was the explosion of emotion around the stadium.

Leeds have gone behind early but should have been level not long after, Gjanni Alioski was tripped but Patrick Bamford put his penalty too near the keeper and the golden opportunity was gone.

The visitors were quick to break and on more than one occasion the ball flashed across the Leeds penalty box. It would have been a travesty if Leeds had not gone in level at the break, they didn’t thanks to a superb move that ended with Pablo Hernandez slamming the ball past David Martin.

The 34,000+ fans expected a second-half onslaught but it was the visitors that stole the second goal, Marshall was tripped in the area and the same player sent Bailey Peacock-Farrell the wrong way and scored. Lesser teams might have crumbled but Leeds aren’t one of them, Luke Ayling scored with a bullet header and the score was once again level.