Key occasions
On different channels …
Goalless and drab, by the sounds, down in Stratford. Think we’ve obtained the higher choice right here to be trustworthy.
Half-time studying: Leeds followers ought to take pleasure in this too, on Brian Deane and the final Christmas Eve Premier League objective.
Half-time: Leeds 3-0 Ipswich
And right here ends a primary half of dominance by Leeds. They’ve been magnificent, urgent onerous, countering with menace and giving Ipswich barely a sniff. That 10-point hole between the groups appears to be like misleading right here, and all grist to the mill for individuals who worry that final season’s three relegated groups and three promoted groups are merely going to swap locations once more this time period. Good previous parachute funds. Whatever, Daniel Farke’s aspect should be nicely forward, and Kieran McKenna has some considering to do to search out some chunk in his aspect. See you in a bit.
45+2 minutes: Ipswich look nervy in possession, which is so not like them, and Rutter nearly seizes on one other free go however Hladky clears the hazard
We’ll have three extra minutes.
Goal! Leeds 3-0 Ipswich (Summerville 45pen)
Summerville sends an emphatic kick to the keeper’s proper. The internet billows. Game over? It was 4-3 final time …
Penalty to Leeds
A fast break initiated by Rutter ends with Summerville darting into the realm previous Davis, who fouls him
42 minutes: Ipswich’s constructing from the again lastly rattles Leeds a bit and ends in Spence fouling Burns out on the best, giving them a free-kick in a promising place, however the ball in in direction of Tuanzebe is muscled clear for an Ipswich throw, which Leeds additionally clear.
40 minutes: James wins a nook down the best after one other tussle with Davis. Tuanzebe simply nods away the next supply and the ball is bashed harmlessly again in and behind for a goalkick.
38 minutes: A bit extra aggression from Hirst wins Ipswich an attacking throw on the left, it’s hoyed into the mixer by Davis – then repelled, as are two subsequent phases and Leeds can construct once more …
35 minutes: Chaplin sniffs a chance however he’s smothered by three defenders on the sting of the realm. He’s lacked assist right here – Broadhead and Hirst have been nameless for Ipswich to date.
34 minutes: Leeds reserving: Rodon provides James with a hospital go, Davis seizes on it and is then inelegantly bundled over by Dan James and the Welsh winger is given a yellow
33 minutes: A protracted spell of Leeds possession retains Ipswich pegged again – they’re utterly bossing this recreation on the minute – from proper to left, again then ahead earlier than a foul by Spence on Morsi offers the guests respite.
29 minutes: Booking: Harry Clarke miscontrols a large crossfield ball aimed for Summerville together with his hand and goes within the e book
27 minutes: “You’re Leeds and you know you are,” taunt the Leeds followers at their former participant Davis after his og. Ipswich reply impressively, Chaplin smacking a submit with a surprising shot from distance.
Goal! Leeds 2-0 Ipswich (Davis 26og)
Defensive tenacity from Gray then James on the best sparks a swift Leeds break, and Somerville skips clear down the left, his tempo inflicting panic and his ball in is deflected into the web by Davis, who didn’t see it correctly. Leeds are flying!
22 minutes: Chance for Ipswich! Chaplin and Burns work their neat triangles and discover Broadhead who cuts proper and fires simply large from 20 yards – the primary correct opening the guests have had.
21 minutes: Spence is having a nice recreation, defensively and offensively, and will get to the byline on the left and will get in a cross which hits Clarke on the arm/midriff however appeals for handball get brief shrift.
20 minutes: Leeds break by James, in that house behind Leif Davis, his cross for Piroe is headed clear however the hosts come once more earlier than the ball in is safely gatherec by Hladky
18 minutes: Chaplin, dropping deep as is his wont, releases Burns on the best with a scrumptious slide-rule go however once more Leeds muzzle the hazard by the ever helpful Spence.
16 minutes: When you rating and win as a lot as Ipswich have in latest occasions it’s generally more durable to react once you’re on the again foot and so they can’t discover house or pleasure going ahead on the minute. And they’re denied what appears to be like an apparent nook when Clarke sees the ball seemingly deflect behind off Kamara.
14 minutes: Dan James is having some enjoyable on the Leeds proper and he piles ahead into vacant house earlier than blootering his shot into the South Stand.
13 minutes: IIpswich do get a foul this time as James clatters Tuanzebe on the sting of the Ipswich space but it surely’s one other instance of Leeds’ aggressive urgent.
11 minutes: Leeds have deserved this lead and are closing down Ipswich’s attacking retailers well, Burns the newest to be crowded out on the best.
It was a textbook inswinging nook actually, the preliminary header from Piroe was palmed away by Hladky straight into the trail of Struijk, who bundled it over the road. Ipswich have been nonetheless stewing concerning the non-free-kick towards Chaplin however they didn’t compose themselves.
Goal! Leeds 1-0 Ipswich (Struick 8)
And Leeds rating from the nook!
6 minutes: Davis is discovered bu Tanzuebe on the left as Ipswich begin to settle and go however Leeds push them again after which break as Summerville releases Spence on the left but it surely’s cleared. Kieran McKenna is indignant at a perceived foul on Chaplin.
5 minutes: Ipswich may be liable to conceding early and so they’re wanting only a contact nervy right here within the face of Leeds’s assertive urgent, however they get clear on thge counter by Burns on the best who finds Broadhead on the left however Leeds clear the ball despatched in for Chaplin.
3 minutes: Leeds knock it about nicely and James will get clear on the best however his cross for Summerville is blocked and cleared.
1 min: Early pleasure as Leeds swarm ahead on the counter-press and Rutter places James clear however he’s fractionally offside.
Peep! And Leeds get us below manner, attacking the South Stand finish.
Some fast pre-match phrases from the managers. Daniel Farke says it’s “always crucial to start games well but there’s no guarantee you can against a team also on the front foot like Ipswich. Kieran McKenna says the crowd will Ipswich “just have to focus on executing our details”.
Out come the groups
Elland Road is perhaps a bit in want of a spruce-up nowadays but it surely’s nonetheless a cracking area for ambiance on an enormous day, and this needs to be a kind of, even when lunchtime kick-offs can generally muffle that just a little.
Some pre-match studying, on Leeds prodigy Archie Gray:
And a chunk Nick Ames did with Ipswich keeper Vaclav Hladky a few months again:
The groups are in
Preamble
Has any fanbase among the many 92 League golf equipment had extra enjoyable watching soccer over the previous 18 months than Ipswich Town’s? Supporters of Brighton and Wrexham would possibly need to be in that dialog, as I assume can be followers of that group that win nearly each competitors they enter. But Ipswich have been having an absolute whale of a time, with Kieran McKenna’s exhilarating aspect romping to a 98-point promotion final season, and following it up this time period by settling themselves within the Championship’s high two from the off, demonstrating emphatically that the fashion that labored within the third tier can do the job on the subsequent degree up. Even when dropping factors – as they did in final week’s fizzing derby draw with Norwich – Ipswich have provided wealthy leisure, supplementing the skills of people who helped them to promotion in 2022-23 – the likes of Conor Chaplin, Wes Burns and Sam Morsy – with nicely judged new signings comparable to George Hirst and Massimo Luongo.
But they’ve one other difficult job this lunchtime, at a revitalised Leeds. Daniel Farke hasn’t precisely restored the feelgood days of Marcelo Bielsa but, however after a few seasons of drift and confusion culminating in relegation Leeds seem like a functioning group once more, and are nicely positioned to pounce ought to both of the highest two hit a hunch. Theirs continues to be a group boasting loads of Premier League high quality and expertise – Crycensio Summerville, Dan James, Joe Rodon, Luke Ayling et al. Farke has mentioned he’ll rotate his squad throughout the busy Christmas interval, however is predicted to go together with his strongest accessible lineup immediately.
Ipswich don’t have any recent harm issues and McKenna is promising his standard attacking method at Elland Road. “I think we showed in all three games last week that our preference is always to try and be as aggressive as we can, try and win the ball high up the pitch, try and defend high up the pitch, try and keep possession in the opposition’s half when possible,” he informed the East Anglia Daily Times.
It’s third v second, it completed 4-3 between these groups earlier within the season (in Leeds’s favour), and it’s on. I’m wanting ahead to this and so must you be.
Kick-off: 12.30pm GMT
Discussion about this post