December 01, (THEWILL) – At Elland Road in Tuesday night’s English Premier League matchday 14 fixture, Raphinha struck a late penalty to give Leeds a much-needed victory over Crystal Palace.
After fellow strugglers Norwich City and Newcastle United drew 1-1 in Tuesday’s earlier kick-off, Marcelo Bielsa’s team moved five points clear of the relegation zone with the late winner.
In the first half, there was a lot of effort and intensity on display, but clear-cut chances were few and far between. Leeds have struggled to score goals this season in the way they did last season and, despite a promising start, have rarely generated a notable opportunity in the first 45 minutes.
With a snap shot that rolled barely wide, Adam Forshaw came closest to changing their fortunes earlier on.
Palace gained a foothold in the game and became a threat on the break. When Jordan Ayew was bundled over by Patrick Struijk, they may have earned themselves a penalty, but referee Kevin Friend remained unimpressed and waved for play to continue.
At halftime, Bielsa introduced Firpo Junior and Rodrigo in an attempt to give his team a boost following the restart. Daniel James put Rodrigo through on goal not long after his arrival, but he took a hard touch and missed the chance.
The hosts enjoyed the majority of possession in the second half, but lacked a killer instinct in the final third without their talisman Patrick Bamford.
And they had to thank their lucky stars they did not go behind when Christian Benteke, an unmarked substitute, headed wide from only a few yards away. When the Belgian hit the target a few moments later, reaching out with his left boot to meet a cross, goalkeeper Illan Meslier scampered back to prevent the ball from crossing the line.
But, just as the game appeared to be heading for a draw, Marc Guehi mishandled Raphinha’s corner delivery, and the referee awarded the penalty after reviewing the replay on the monitor. The Brazilian displayed steely grit by sending Vicente Guaita the wrong way to score to the wild celebrations of the home crowd.
Leeds moves up to 15th place, one point behind Crystal Palace in 12th.December 01, (THEWILL) – At Elland Road in Tuesday night’s English Premier League matchday 14 fixture, Raphinha struck a late penalty to give Leeds a much-needed victory over Crystal Palace.
After fellow strugglers Norwich City and Newcastle United drew 1-1 in Tuesday’s earlier kick-off, Marcelo Bielsa’s team moved five points clear of the relegation zone with the late winner.
In the first half, there was a lot of effort and intensity on display, but clear-cut chances were few and far between. Leeds have struggled to score goals this season in the way they did last season and, despite a promising start, have rarely generated a notable opportunity in the first 45 minutes.
With a snap shot that rolled barely wide, Adam Forshaw came closest to changing their fortunes earlier on.
Palace gained a foothold in the game and became a threat on the break. When Jordan Ayew was bundled over by Patrick Struijk, they may have earned themselves a penalty, but referee Kevin Friend remained unimpressed and waved for play to continue.
At halftime, Bielsa introduced Firpo Junior and Rodrigo in an attempt to give his team a boost following the restart. Daniel James put Rodrigo through on goal not long after his arrival, but he took a hard touch and missed the chance.
The hosts enjoyed the majority of possession in the second half, but lacked a killer instinct in the final third without their talisman Patrick Bamford.
And they had to thank their lucky stars they did not go behind when Christian Benteke, an unmarked substitute, headed wide from only a few yards away. When the Belgian hit the target a few moments later, reaching out with his left boot to meet a cross, goalkeeper Illan Meslier scampered back to prevent the ball from crossing the line.
But, just as the game appeared to be heading for a draw, Marc Guehi mishandled Raphinha’s corner delivery, and the referee awarded the penalty after reviewing the replay on the monitor. The Brazilian displayed steely grit by sending Vicente Guaita the wrong way to score to the wild celebrations of the home crowd.
Leeds moves up to 15th place, one point behind Crystal Palace in 12th.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
