Leeds United unable to ram home advantage as James Ward-Prowse punishes their profligacy - Yorkshire Post 2/4/22

Leeds United tried their hardest, but they just could not ram home victory in the end.

By Stuart Rayner

Under Jesse Marsch, Leeds try to score goals as much through force of personality as finesse and for a good period of the match it looked like they would but they gave James Ward-Prowse one opportunity to show off his incredible skills at free-kicks and had to settle for a 1-1 draw as a result.

It was tough on Leeds but a reminder that although they are heading in the right direction under the American, there is further to go. They simply must be more ruthless, not that the failing is unique to this iteration of the Whites.

For a good 35 minutes the game had been the one they wanted and they got their reward with a goal for Jack Harrison. But only one goal.

And in the Premier League, the opposition will always have chances to score themselves. For a period in the second half, left-back Kyle Walker-Peters, fresh from his first two England caps, was electric, and he won a free-kick Ward-Prowse converted.

Some will question whether Illan Meslier, who made a wonderful first half save, ought to have stretched to it, but the skill was admirable.

With 40 minutes to do something about it, and with Joe Gelhardt and Kalvin Phillips improving from the bench, Leeds just did not quite have enough.

There is a reason why they are where they are in the table but they are edging upwards, and a victory at Watford next week would go a long way to putting fears of relegation to bed.

Southampton are a similarly intense side to Leeds, so the mix was a potent one with the crowd right behind the hosts' good start and the referee taking it easy on his whistle.

It was an ideal game for Liam Cooper to return to having not played since injuring his hamstring in December. His selection from the start meant Phillips had to settle for a place on the bench, introduced in the 66th minute.

He even played an indirect part in the opening goal, after 29 minutes, tackling Broja with his head with a Gary Kelly-style header as the ball was on the ground. Leeds went down the other end and Raphinha crossed it just before it completely went out play. Fraser Forster could only help it into an area which allowed Jack Harrison to pounce and put the ball into the net.

It was no less than Leeds deserved.

They had been positive from the start. Mohammed Salisu needing to make an excellent tackle to stop Dan James shooting after just three minutes, itself the product of another blood-and-thunder tackle, this time by Luke Ayling on new England cap Kyle Walker-Peters.

The pressure kept coming, Adam Forshaw and Mateusz Klich both having shots blocked as Leeds tried to ram the ball down the middle in a game where both teams played characteristically narrow formations.

Another Cooper tackle set off the unusually elegant move which saw Harrison feed Rodrigo, in the hole of a 4-2-3-1, who played it onto James to force a low save.

James ought to have played Raphinha in the 14th minute but the ball got stuck under his feet and Oriol Romeu was able to get back.

But even though Leeds were the better team of the first 45 minutes, it was clear Southampton had a goal in them.

When Mohammed Elyounoussi hit a shot at Meslier after the ball was laid back to him in the tenth minute it was an isolated moment. But the Leeds defence and their goalkeeper were worked harder as the half came to an end.

Former Sheffield United striker Che Adams slipped and saw his shot deflect off Diego Llorente, another home centre-back who seemed to be enjoying the harem-scarem game, for a corner. The Spaniard made a crucial last-ditch tackle a minute later.

Meslier made an excellent save stretching low to his left in the 35th minute after a great turn and shot by Adams, who left Klich on the ground with it.

Walker-Peters steered a shot just wide when a corner was touched back to him.

He was brilliant after the restart and a slaloming run saw him fouled by Ayling in just the wrong place, a perfect position for Ward-Prowse to wrap his right foot around a free-kick from.

Walker-Peters soon had Ayling in the book after another run, and shot at the goalkeeper.

With Rodrigo and Raphinha on the same plane, Leeds always posed a threat.

The Spaniard pulled the ball back from the Brazilian in the 55th minute. The winger made space for a shot but his chip sailed over.

Gelhardt added to the threat when he came off the bench, winning a free-kick Forster did well to put behind from Stuart Dallas, then dribbling at Elyounoussi, who conceded a booking.

Leeds had more of the closing stages, Adam Forshaw having a shot block, Phillips coming on to spray some nice passes and Raphinha unable to finish off a move which came from his excellent dribble.

Rodrigo and Raphbinha linked brilliantly again in the 87th minute but the shot was blocked.

It was good, but not quite good enough from Leeds.