2nd November 2024. EFL Championship.
Ah! Leeds United, doing what we expect Leeds United to do this season! How often has this been the case over the years? Leeds are clearly (well, in my eyes anyway) the best side in the Championship at the moment and have been all season. We now have the best home record in the Championship statistically and Plymouth have the worst away record with just one point and one goal scored on their travels so far. So, Leeds should be winning this game. And we did.
I know all Leeds fans, like me, are nervous that one of those “shooting ourselves in the foot” moments will bring this run to an end, bring our momentum to a halt with a shudder, but there was no sign of it today. Today we saw yet another clinical, error free, display, albeit against a side looking desperately bereft of quality. Let’s not forget though, Plymouth’s home record is far from the worst in the Championship at the moment and one of the three scalps they have taken at Home Park this season is none other than that of Sunderland, who they beat 3 – 2 in mid-September! Only three of the Plymouth players who started that Sunderland game started today which may give Mr Rooney some cause to have a ponder about his next starting XI. He made six changes today apparently from the side that heroically fought back last weekend from being three down to Preston… why would you do that?
Anyway, Leeds took about twenty minutes today to sort out how we were going to break down what looked like a six-man Pilgrims’ defence. Once we’d cracked the code though there was no stopping us. Even before the first goal we’d seen Joel Piroe scoop a shot over the bar from a Tanaka cross and Willy Gnonto do that thing when he crabs across the edge of the box before shooting; this time he pulled his shot just wide of the left post. On the half-hour mark though, the floodgates opened.
A right wing Joe Rothwell corner seems a more dangerous thing these days, having already broken our long duck of scoring from such things and this time a Plymouth head could only clear the ball out to the edge of the area where Willy G collected easily. He pushed the ball further to the right into the path of Dan James who was looking back to his very best from the start today. Dan’s first touch wasn’t perfect, the ball escaping further from him than he’d want but, somehow, stretching his right boot, he made great contact with the ball and sent it flying past the diving Grimshaw in the visitors’ goal and inside the left post! It was a glorious shot and he assured reporters after the game that it was no ‘toe-poke!'
The second goal followed just three minutes later; Dan James again instrumental on the right side of the area. His low cross was blocked at source but the ball rebounded back into the path of Ao Tanaka who took a sideways swing at it, sending it first into the turf and then into a defender. This time it fell at the feet of Joel Piroe and he did the cool goal poacher thing, poking home from inside six yards.
Another five minutes and the game was effectively ended. Dan James again put the ball into the box, in front of the Kop, finding Joel Piroe again (isn't it strange how effective he is when he's played up top!) albeit Joel had a man tight against him this time. Joel tried his luck with a back-heel effort that cannoned off the defender and fell into the path of Brenden Aaronson following up; he stabbed it home. Game, set and match to Leeds.
As so often happens when one team grabs a big first half lead, the second half was a none event really. Rooney gave up one of his six defenders to give Andre Gray a place on the pitch to try to change the flow of the game but Leeds continued to dominate. We created a few openings but none were big chances and, for once, missing great chances wasn’t an issue for us. Willy Gnonto pulled a right foot shot low across the face of goal, Piroe had a weak shot easily saved, and, late on, young sub Charlie Crew fired a cracking shot that Grimshaw did well to save under his crossbar.
So, on we go, up into the top two today and a chance, maybe, to close the gap on the lucky Black Cats on Wednesday if we can put our old foes Millwall to the sword while Sunderland have a tricky-looking game at Preston.
So, far this season, the great aspect to our games is the way we have pretty much disposed of the poor teams, including those relying on the low block that caused us so much trouble last season. More of the same please on Wednesday Leeds, let’s avoid the drama!
Sky Bet Championship
Leeds United 3 (James 30’, Piroe 33’, Aaronson 38’)
Plymouth Argyle 0
Leeds: Meslier (GK), Firpo, Struijk (C), Rodon, James (Solomon 66’), Rothwell (Guilavogui 75’), Piroe (Crew 86’), Aaronson (Joseph 66’), Tanaka, Byram, Gnonto (Chambers 75’). Subs not used: Darlow (GK), Schmidt, Debayo, Wober.
Plymouth: Grimshaw (GK), Mumba, Ogbeta (Gray 45’), Houghton (C), Pleguezuelo, Szucs, Hardie (Finn 69’), Forshaw, Sorinola, Roberts, Palsson. Subs not used: Marosi (GK), Whittaker, Wright, Obafemi, Bundu, Al Hajj, Issaka.
Venue: Elland Road
Attendance: 36,066
Referee: David Webb
Booked: n/a