The Match

Pre-Match

United boss Kevin Blackwell sprung one surprise in his team selection by naming the two big strikers, Rob Hulse and Richard Cresswell, upfront together.

The pair have played together before, three times in fact, including the 2-0 home defeat to Ipswich.  The last time they partnered each other was in the 3-1 win against Derby County for the Whites back in September.

It meant Robbie Blake was dropped to the bench and that was the only change to the side that beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 in the last outing.

The Match

Leeds started well enough but soon found themselves matched by their hosts in this encounter at Portman Road.

Cresswell forced a corner out of Ipswich within the first minute, and from it Leeds eventually earned themselves a free-kick right on the edge of the box but Gary Kelly, attempting to catch everyone out with a quickly taken free-kick, put it over the bar.

United came under some pressure themselves inside the opening five minutes with Danny Haynes forcing Neil Sullivan to turn a cross-cum-shot over his own crossbar. Jason De Vos headed over from the corner.

Rob Hulse, starting a league match for the first time in ten games, showed great ability in the ninth minute when he turned sharply on the edge of the area and fired off a shot that had Ipswich keeper Shane Supple at full stretch to make the save.

Just as they had at Elland Road, Leeds were seeing plenty of the ball and using it well but it didn't help them back in September with the visitors riding out a 2-0 win.

The game lacked quality in the first half but both sides got into enough good positions from where they would expect to earn some reward but ended up with nothing.

Ipswich were playing some short balls in and around the United penalty area  but couldn't put a shot on target, whilst Leeds were finding the target, as Shaun Derry did on the half hour, but not putting enough power behind their efforts to beat the keeper.

Defensively Leeds appeared sound.  Sean Gregan was playing his second game after returning to the team at the expense of injury victim Matthew Kilgallon and he never let anything get past him in the first half.   Haynes tried to beat him with pace and trickery but the defenser showed his experience and just put his body in the way and came away with the ball.

Still Gregan couldn't avoid picking up his somewhat customary booking per game, this time for just catching his man with an outstretched boot as he tried to go past him on the right flank.

Three minutes before the break Leeds had a great chance to open the scoring after Eddie Lewis competed for the ball inside the area and eventually it popped out for Rob Hulse to turn goalwards but his close range header was batted away by the keeper.

In injury time Gregan conceded a foul barely a yard outside the penalty area for a push on Lee that could have proved costly. Fortunately Magilton fired his shot straight at the wall and Barron put the loose ball well over.

Ipswich made one change at half-time, bringing on Darren Currie for Jim Magilton. Currie had originally been named in the starting XI but due to an accident on the main A12 into Ipswich, the winger was stuck in a 13 mile tail-back and arrived too late to warm up properly.

Leeds Achilles heel is conceding a goal straight after they've been attacking themselves, and once again they were punished three minutes into the second half after Cresswell had come close.

Ipswich got the ball away from danger and a threaded ball through to Haynes saw the forward beat the offside trap and break away down the right, his pace taking him clear and he simply cut the ball past Sullivan into the far right hand corner of the net.

Five minutes later and it could have been 2-0 after Leeds were caught sleeping at the back.  Butler had just to clear the ball but he hesitated and that allowed Haynes to sneak in around the back and only the bar saved Leeds as the Ipswich man missed a sitter.

Blackwell reacted to going a goal behind by bringing on David Healy with Liam Miller making way.

Leeds were unlucky not to find themselves level on 76 minutes, first Hulse and then Lewis being denied goals.

Lewis's cross found Hulse right on the penalty spot and the striker met it well but somehow Supple was able to knock his snap shot away, the ball came back for Lewis and his strike was deflected wide.

Nobody could accuse Blackwell of not wanting to win the game, he had three strikers on the pitch, but they were all mis-firing.  Healy terrorised Ioswich down the flanks but his crosses were all turned away and Hulse and Cresswell were industrious with the ball at their feet but not cutting enough.

It turned into a frustrating night for him as he picked up a booking for a foul on Matt Richards.

Leeds had Ipswich pinned back inside their own penalty box for long spells in the final ten minutes as they won corner after corner.

Healy saw a goalbound shot headed clear and Lewis again put the ball back into the area but no white shirt was able to tap it in.

Leeds found a way back into the game when, with five minutes remaining, De Vos went up with his hand raised to try and cut out Kelly's corner and although video evidence later suggested otherwise, it clearly looked at first glance as if he had handled the ball.  

The referee was the only man who needed convincing and he duly pointed to the spot and Leeds had their chance.

It took a full three minutes to sort out the aftermath of the decision but when the dust had settled, Healy stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way, rolling the ball into the back of the net.

A slice of luck maybe for Leeds after it looked like being one of those nights where they would come away with nothing, and a point was gladly received, although had Healy and Cresswell timed their break at the end better when they were denied by an offside flag, it might have been all three.
 

The Match

Pre-Match

United boss Kevin Blackwell made just the one change to the side that beat Luton the previous week, and it meant a return to the side for Shaun Derry.

Derry, besides coming back into the side after serving his one match suspension, was returning to Selhurt Park for the first time since leaving Crystal Palace to join the Whites.

David Healy dropped down to the bench to resume his now familiar role of super-sub and was joined there by Eirik Bakke, who has started just the one game since his return from a loan spell at Aston Villa.

Palace were able to include England striker Andy Johnson, who was looking to prove a point after being left out of the most recent squad.

The Match

Leeds enjoyed an encouraging start to the game, putting plenty of pressure on the Palace goal inside the first five minutes.

Their first chance came through good work by Liam Miller on the deadball line after he won the corner that eventually created an opening for his fellow Irish international Jonathan Douglas. Gary Kelly swung in the cross and the Blackburn man's header was only just cleared off the line by Palace keeper Gabor Kiraly, who got down quickly to get a hand to the ball.

Clinton Morrison might have forced a save out of Neil Sullivan but he missed the shot completely and Leeds survived.  They escaped again when Michael Hughes squared the ball across the face of the six yard box and Leeds looked stretched with a number of Palace players looking to knock the ball home, but fortunately the offside flag was up.

Then Kelly's quick corner eventually fell for Eddie Lewis but the American's shot swerved wide of the left hand post. Leeds had showed their intent though and were getting closer with every attempt.

The breakthrough finally came on 33 minutes and it was good to see The Whites punish a side on the break so decisively - just as they had been so many times last season.

The superb Miller, no doubt buoyed after his goal for the Republic in midweek, broke away after dispossessing Andy Johnson, set Rob Hulse away, and despite the close attention of the giant Darren Ward, managed to cut the ball back across the face of goal to Robbie Blake who smashed it home from two yards out.

It was a simple but effective move that deserved to finish in a goal, and with it Blake joined David Healy at the top of the United goalscoring charts on 11.  A nice way to celebrate his 31st birthday!

Palace were stunned by the goal and their response lacked a cutting edge as the Leeds defence did their job well.

Eddie Lewis had a clear header three minutes before the end after meeting Kelly's cross but put it wide from five yards out. It was another great chance gone begging.

At half time Kevin Blackwell would have been delighted to see his side well in control of the game and having taken the advantage, all that would be required was for them to build on their lead.

And Leeds did just that six minutes into the second half with a goal similar to the first.

The hard-working Douglas combined with Miller, he got behind the Palace back four and delivered another perfect ball across the face of goal where Hulse got to the ball and smashed it against the underside of the bar and in.

The goal also put Hulse on 11 for the season and there's a fascinating battle going on amongst the strikers to be top dog. It was Hulse's first goal since January 7th, when he scored against Wigan and his last league goal was five days previous to that against Plymouth, also away.

Leeds had given themselves a two-goal cushion and they looked like only extending their lead more with the hosts looking already beaten.

Palace made two changes shortly after the goal, Iain Dowie feeling he couldn't let things continue as they were any longer, and on came Aki Riihilahti and Mikele Leigertwood with less than an hour played.

Neil Sullivan was forced to make his first save of the game on 65 minutes when Leigertwood went for goal with an ambitious strike from 35-yards out. It was a good effort from the youngster but Sullivan was not caught out.

Sullivan suddenly found himself a lot busier than he was in the first half as the other substitute, Finnish international Riihilahti also hit a shot goalwards, and again the former Scotland keeper made the save look comfortable.

Palace enjoyed their best spell of the game for 15 minutes after the hour mark, managing to put the pressure on Leeds and coming close as Shaun Derry flung himself in the way of a shot from Clinton Morrison, blocking it at the expense of a corner. Leeds though managed to survive that crucial period and eat up valuable time on their way to another three points.

Jobi McAnuff might have given the Eagles a goal to get back into the game with but his shot was straight at Sullivan from a good position on the edge of the area.

Danny Pugh and David Healy were given five minutes before the end when they came on for Eddie Lewis and Robbie Blake respectively.

Leeds had managed to keep Andy Johnson quiet for most of the game and when he screwed a shot horribly high and wide over the bar, it summed up Palace's afternoon.

Then, with the 90 minutes up, out of nowhere the hosts got a late goal to put themselves back in with a chance of earning a point from the game.

McAnuff cut inside from the right flank and hit a left footed drive from the edge of the penalty area that saw Sullivan finally beaten to set up a nervous final few minutes of extra time.

Rob Hulse could have made absolutely sure of the three points when he went clear but Kiraly pulled off the save and Leeds had a bit of defending to do as Palace sensed they weren't beaten yet.

Leeds though had done enough to earn themselves another great away win and the final whistle was greeted with some relief.

It turned out to be a pivotal result for Leeds with Watford having lost to Derby meaning the Whites regained third place in the table, and with Sheffield United having dropped two points the night before with a draw against the bottom side Crewe, it left them just six points adrift of the Blades with a game in hand and a game to come against the Blades.

It has set up one of the most exciting finishes to a season in years for Leeds, and it could yet be United's year.