The Match

Pre-Match

United boss Kevin Blackwell made just one change to the side that lost with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Rob Hulse returned in place of Richard Cresswell, with the striker having recovered from a bug that swept through the training camp earlier in the week, although it prevented Frazer Richardson from taking any part in the game.

The Match
There was a moment of concern early on for Leeds when Neil Sullivan hammered a clearance against Rangers striker Paul Furlong, but fortunately the United keeper got the lucky break and was able to clear the ball.

Leeds were presented with a gilt-edged chance after just seven minutes, and really should have been ahead.

Healy played a defence splitting ball up to Lewis making the run on left and the winger delivered a great ball across the face of goal between the keeper and his defence. Rob Hulse missed it but Jonathan Douglas looked set to tap it home but only managed to hammer it over from four yards out.

If Leeds should have been ahead in the first ten minutes, then QPR should have fashioned what would have been a good equaliser quarter of an hour into the game.

On the break the ball came in to Dean Sturridge 12-yards out and his header found Furlong in acres of space inside the penalty area, but the striker hammered his shot into the ground and Sullivan made a comfortable save.

Sean Gregan became the first man to go in referee Peter Walton's notebook when he brought down Sturridge as the former Derby County man looked to get away from him.

Healy and Douglas worked hard to try and create an opening for each other midway through the half but it finished with Douglas hitting an ambitious 25-yard shot well over the top of the Rangers goal.

The QPR fans were screaming for a penalty when Dean Sturridge got sandwiched between Sean Gregan and Stephen Crainey and went down inside the area, but the referee was having none of it.

The home side were forced into an early change when defender Mauro Milanese went down injured.  He was replaced by Ian Evatt.

Pressure on Leeds continued to grow, and when Gregan missed a clearance Sturridge let fly with a 20-yard drive that Sullivan did well to hold.

Another piece of good interplay between Healy and Douglas saw the former find the latter with a sideways pass that allowed him to run clear on goal for 20-yards.  A goal might have been the outcome but Marcus Bignot just got back to cover and blocked the shot.

With six minutes to go to the break, Leeds struck to take a lead they just about deserved on balance.

A free-kick from from the left hand side was swung in by Kelly over the top of three or four defenders but landed perfectly for Rob Hulse to just tap the ball into the left hand corner of the net.  Good cross, simple goal for the Incredible Hulse. He came close to a second goal with a header soon after and suddenly United appeared to be cruising.

Gylfi Einarsson was the second United man to go in the book for a foul that gave the home side a shooting position 25-yards out.  Gareth Ainsworth's shot though relieved the pressure on Kevin Blackwell's men.

Leeds picked up where they left off at the end of the first half, applying all the early pressure.

Hulse tried to turn inside the box for the shot and managed to do so eventually but his shot was deflected behind for a corner. From it Einarsson met the cross but his header was off the line by Marc Bircham.

Kelly was booked for obstructing Lee Cook in a decision from the referee that seemed harsh to the extreme.

Lewis was driving Leeds forward time after time and together with Healy the pair were causing the home side no end of problems.  Healy nearly set up a second for Leeds when he crossed to the back post and Einarsson was just an inch away from nodding in.

Leeds suffered a huge blow when David Healy was sent off for what the referee could only have interpreted as 'violent conduct'.

The Northern Inteland international had just received a ticking off from the referee after a clash with Shittu when he clipped the heel of Marc Bircham as the two almost ran into each other.  It was a yellow card offence at the most, red was severe to say the least.

Shaun Derry could have followed Healy down the tunnel though after his angry protest at the referee, with United team-mates holding him back.
 
"You're not fit to referee" rang out of the Leeds fans end at Loftus Road as they voiced their displeasure at Mr Walton.

Blackwell made his first change soon after, bringing the scorer Rob Hulse off for Richard Cresswell.

QPR had thrown Georges Santos forward and the big striker missed his chance to shine when a cross from the right found him completely unmarked on the penalty spot but his header went high and over, missing the target by a country mile.

Leeds were reliant on just Cresswell along upfront, and they had numbers back to try and protect the lead, which with a man less would require a monumental effort for the Whites.

The home side felt aggrieved when Paul Furlong was bundled over as he tried to barge his way through into the penalty area.  He did appear to be inside the area when the foul was committed but the referee signalled for a free-kick instead and the ball was placed right on the edge of the area. Leeds placed eight men in the wall and it worked for them as the ball was smashed into a sea of United legs.

Shaun Derry was the next Leeds player to fall foul of the referee, in what was another strange decision for the referee to explain later.

Leeds hung on at the end, it was real team effort to keep hold of the three points, but it was no less than Leeds deserved.

The Match

Pre - Match

United boss Kevin Blackwell reverted to what could arguably be considered his strongest team - minus the suspended David Healy - for the visit of Ipswich Town.

Healy's continued absence meant another opportunity for Richard Cresswell, who took his chance in midweek and scored both goals in the win over Rotherham. 

Otherwise, skipper Paul Butler, winger Eddie Lewis, midfielder Sean Gregan and right-back Gary Kelly all returned to the team.  That saw Frazer Richardson, Danny Pugh, Ian Moore and Matthew Kilgallon all drop out.

Robbie Blake, fit again after a calf injury, had to be content with a place on the bench.

The Match

Leeds took control of the game early on but they couldn't find the early goal to settle their nerves.

The best of the chances came on seven minutes when Richard Cresswell's deflected shot dropped in to Rob Hulse, just eight yards out, and the striker had time to bring it down but chose to go for the header and the keeper turned it over the bar.

United continued to build patiently but they were lacking a final, killer ball in that the likes of Hulse and Cresswell were hovering to snap up.

Eddie Lewis won a free kick after Horlock tripped him right on the edge of the penalty area, setting up a great chance from the set-piece, but unfortunately Gary Kelly's ball in was too long and too high as it sailed harmlessly behind for a goal kick.

Leeds came desperately close when Eddie Lewis his the woodwork with 26 minutes gone.

Great work from Cresswell and Douglas on the right hand touchline saw United move the ball unhindered across the Ipswich penalty area, then a neat flick from Hulse put Lewis in on goal and the USA international struck it well but the ball came back off the left-hand post.

The Whites though were undone a minute later when Ipswich made their first real attack, Leeds conceding from the break-away, just as they had done three times in the previous home game against Brighton.

Dean Bowditch made 40 yards down the right hand touchline and delivered a searching cross in behind Gregan and Butler and former Swindon striker Sam Parkin had the easy job of nodding the ball home. 

Bowditch should have been prevented from getting the cross in and equally Parkin's run should have been picked up.  From being in control, Leeds had suddenly pressed the self-destruct button.

Skipper Paul Butler went close to an equaliser with a header that just went over the top, but it was Ipswich who nearly scored again. Bowditch's cross almost turned into his own net by Crainey, but the left-back had to do something or Jim Magilton would have had a simple tap-in.

Leeds were given the chance to draw level from the penalty spot just before half-time when Shaun Derry's run into the penalty area was brought to an end by Sito Castro's trip.

Richard Cresswell stepped up to take it and went for power...Elland Road held its breath..and the shot smacked against the bar and came back out!

Ipswich had the ball in the back of the net just before the whistle went but the referee had spotted the push and Leeds went into the break with plenty of work to do to rescue their unbeaten home record.

No changes at half-time, the objective for Leeds was clear - keep knocking on the door and eventually, hopefully, one will go in.

Rob Hulse was a whisker away from doing just that as Kelly's cross came in and he beat the off-side trap but couldn't quite get a connection.

Seven minutes into the second half and Leeds could have had another penalty.  Jonathan Douglas appeared surprised to find himself with a clear run on goal, he could have squared it to Hulse, but the goal was on and as he struggled to get the ball from under his feet for the shot, the challenge came in but no penalty was the referee's decision.

A minute later and the most glorious chance of the game fell to Eddie Lewis.  He was completely clear of the Ipswich defence with just Lewis Price to beat in the visitors goal, but he had too much time and when the shot came in the keeper made the block and the winger was left to beat the ground in frustration.

Blackwell made his first change on the hour, Frazer Richardson - who must have thought himself unlucky to have been left out of the starting line-up after his Rotherham performance - came on for Gylfi Einarsson.

Hulse and Cresswell won half a dozen corners between them in the second half alone, but the Whites were unable to profit from any of them.

Leeds caught cold again midway through the half when Ipswich flicked a ball over the top of a static defence for Parkin  to run onto and the striker drilled the ball into the botton left hand corner with left Sullivan helpless.

Robbie Blake made his entrance to the game with just over quarter of an hour left to play, but would it be too late?  Gary Kelly was the man to go off and Leeds had three strikers on the pitch.

The visitors could have made it three after the change when Danny Haynes got in behind but was just over his header.

Robbie Blake made his entrance to the game with just over quarter of an hour left to play, but would it be too late?  Gary Kelly was the man to go off and Leeds had three strikers on the pitch.

The visitors could have made it three after the change when Danny Haynes got in behind but was just over his header.

Blackwell's final shake of the dice was to throw on another striker, Ian Moore, with Rob Hulse coming off and understandably disappointed not to have put his name on the scoresheet in what had been a frustrating afternoone.

The sub was the next to be left dejected by the Ipswich defence as he Moore saw his close shot cleared off the line - after Cresswell's initial header had also been blocked.

As time went on it became apparent to everyone inside Elland Road that it was not going to be Leeds' day, and Ipswich duly inflicted the first home defeat of the season on them.

The Match

Pre-Match

United  boss Kevin Blackwell reacted to the defeat against Ipswich by making one change to his starting line-up. 

Gylfi Einarsson was the man who made way with Frazer Richardson coming back into the side after being left out for the past three league games.

Derby included former United midfielder Seth Johnson - released just over a month ago - who was understandably keen to do well against his former employers.

The Match

United missed a penalty on Saturday against Watford and they should have had an opportunity to make amends after just three minutes.

Richard Cresswell chased a ball knocked forward that the Derby keeper Lee Camp made a rash decision to come out for and completely misjudged.  There then ensued a three-way chase for the ball with the keeper, Rams defender Michael Johnson and Cresswell.  It ended with Cresswell being clattered to the ground but no penalty was the decision.

Jonathan Douglas had United's first shot on goal but it was easily held by Camp.

Leeds continued to press Derby back, using the two wingers well.  It was from a right wing cross that Hulse went up for the ball inside the area, but it wouldn't drop for him and then Cresswell was just crowded out of the shot.

Then a Richardson cross was missed by Cresswell on the edge of the six yard box but fell for Lewis. The USA international had a tight angle to shoot from and did well in the end to get as close as he did with a shot across the face of goal that missed by about a foot.

Paul Butler picked up the first yellow card of the evening for a foul on Stern John midway through the first half.

It was from the free-kick that Derby had their best chance to go infront - but it saw an excellent save from Neil Sullivan. Visgaard played a neat through ball that was latched onto by Paul Peschisolido and the Canadian international must have thought he was about to score until Sullivan arrived to make the block.

Leeds suffered a blow when Cresswell limped off with just 25 minutes gone. The striker had been caught by a Derby defender and was struggling.  Robbie Blake was the man who came on in his place and immediately started to cause the opposition problems, sending a header just wide.

Blake played a massive part in the opening goal that came after 31 minutes.

Kelly's cross saw Hulse challenge for the ball and knock it back to Blake who shot goalwards, albeit probably not with enough power to beat Camp, but then Hulse stuck out a boot and just diverted the ball past the keeper.

It was a small slice of luck and perhaps United's fortune had finally turned for the better!

Just after United had been denied another penalty when Butler was pulled back inside the box, Leeds went 2-0 up and were suddenly cruising.

Lewis swung in a great cross towards the near post that Hulse and the keeper went for together but it was the United man who got his head to the ball first.   The downwards header crashed into the back of the net to give the striker his fifth goal of the season.

United missed a hat-ful of chances on Saturday but they were certainly making up for it on this night.

Another positive break ended in the third goal of the evening just before half-time.

Eddie Lewis bundled his way through one challenge and then let fly with a fierce drive from 30-yards that Camp could only parry - right into the path of Hulse and the striker was not about to pass up the chance to score his hat-trick.

Hulse still had plenty of work to do to turn the ball in but he finished with a flourish, absolutely hammering the ball into the back of the net.

At half-time, Leeds had the game won.

Unchanged after the break, Leeds kept up the relentless pressure on Derby and came close to making it 4-0 within a minute of the restart.

A foul 20-yards out gave Robbie Blake the chance to go for goal, and from the free-kick his right foot curling shot was destined for the top right hand corner of the goal until the keeper pulled off his best save of the night.

Two minutes later Blake beat the offside trap and managed to square the ball across to Hulse before he was clattered. Hulse's chip was just inches over the top.  

Derby boss Phil Brown had seen enough and promptly made a triple substitution, with Dean Holdsworth, Adam Bolder and Nonnir Hamdaoui all coming on.

Frazer Richardson was clearly enjoying his return to the side and took great pleasure in tormenting the Derby left-back with some tricky runs down.  He was unlucky not to see his final ball in tucked away as Leeds continued to throw men forward.

Leeds will have been disappointed not to have kept a clean sheet though.  Derby got a consolation goal with just over 17 minutes left to play when Michael Johnson met Visgaard's corner and sent it goalwards.  Sean Gregan got an unfortunate final touch on the ball as it bounced off him and went in.

At least it gave the Derby fans something to shout about as they sang "we're gonna to win 4-3."

They were nearly singing a different tune though as Robbie Blake went clean through on goal, tried to chip the keeper and then went down under the challenge, but instead of being awarded a penalty all he received was a yellow card for diving.

Rob Hulse then went off to a standing ovation with Ian Moore coming on.

Sullivan had been rarely troubled during the game but he had to be alert with ten minutes left when Peschisolido got free in the box and hit a well struck shot.  Sully though made the save look easy.

Derby continued to press late on and had a few decent chances from free-kicks around the edge of the penalty area, all incidentally won by Seth Johnson who was not enjoying his first return to Elland Road.

Ian Moore had the chance to make it 4-1 right on the stroke of full time but on the stretch he put his shot well over from 20-yards.

Still, they were three good goals to win all three points that ensured Leeds went back into the top six.  Bonuses all round this week then - especially for Rob Hulse.