Leeds United Football Club - Matchreport Coventry City vs Leeds United
Pre-Match
Leeds were forced into making two changes to the side that lost to Crewe on New Year' Day, with skipper Paul Butler and Gary Kelly both suspended for the trip to Highfield Road.
Butler's place at the back was taken by Clarke Carlisle, a like-for-like replacement, whilst Kelly's absence at right back saw Frazer Richardson make the switch there from left-back. Danny Pugh went to left-back which opened up midfield for Simon Walton to return.
Matthew Spring recovered from a groin injury to take his place on the bench along with new signing Gylfi Einarsson, who played 30 minutes as a substitute on his debut on Saturday.
Coventry boss Peter Reid was able to name an unchanged side despite a virus sweeping through the Sky Blue camp. City went into the game on the back of a 2-1 win at Rotherham.
The Match
Leeds pressed early on and had an opportunity when Blake won the ball on the right touchline and delivered a cross towards Healy who had taken up position on the penalty spot, but the ball was just headed clear in time by Gary McSheffrey.
United have been picking up yellow cards with increasing frequency in recent games, although none have come as early as the one Matthew Kilgallon was given just nine minutes into the game after the referee spotted a pull on the back of Sky Blues striker Stern John's shirt. Dele Adebola, who has been on loan at Bradford City earlier this season, headed over from the free-kick.
Simon Walton might have done better with his header on 12 minutes after Aaron Lennon's cross found him on the edge of the area. The move came from skipper for the day Sean Gregan winning possession and using the full length of the pitch well with Wright and Lennon working together, and it should have at least tested the keeper.
Referee Nigel Miller was certainly getting into the swing of things early when with barely 13 minutes on the clock he booked City's Louis Carey after a foul on David Healy. Only four minutes passed before the United striker went into the book himself, cutting down Michael Doyle after the midfielder had just passed him.
When they weren't being disciplined by the referee, Leeds were actually playing some good football. They passed the ball well between themselves and created a number of chances, one of which should have been taken by Lennon but the teenager blazed his shot over the top and then smashed a drive into the backs of the Coventry defence after the ball came to him on the edge of the area from a corner kick.
With 24 minutes gone United appealed loudly for a clear handball inside the area but all they got instead was a corner and not the chance for David Healy to step up to the spot.
Peter Reid's side suffered a blow when Eddie Johnson limped off after just 25 minutes. He was replaced by Graham Barrett.
Then on 28 minutes came the goal Leeds had been threatening to score and it was first Leeds goal for Nathan Blake.
Lennon delivered a cross deep into the penalty area where the towering presence of Clarke Carlisle caused Coventry all kinds of problems and the ball broke for Blake 16-yards out and the Welsh striker showed great composure and blasted the ball high into the back of the goal, almost taking the netting away.
The only down point was that once more the referee brought out his cards as he booked Blake for his celebrations with the travelling Leeds fans.
Even after the goal it was still Leeds who continued to threaten the most, Lennon again coming close and Carlisle was sent forward as often as possible to see if he could further unsettle the Sky Blues defence.
On one rare occasion when United's defence looked threatened, Pugh eased the danger when he brought Carey's run to an end at the expense of a free-kick which was easily gathered by Neil Sullivan.
The Whites should have had a second goal a minute before the break when Wright delivered his eighth corner of the match straight to Blake just eight yards out. He stooped to head it but somehow got too much on the ball and it cleared the cross bar by about an inch.
The home side made one more change at half-time, taking Adebola off and replacing him with Neil Wood. Leeds remained the same.
The substitute went down inside the Leeds penalty area after just four minutes under pressure from Carlisle and Kilgallon, but no penalty was forthcoming and for his trouble Kilgallon appeared to pick up a knock which forced him off for treatment.
Coventry were given an oportunity to test Sullivan just before the hour mark when Gegan tripped Graham Barrett five yards outside the penalty area, but the same player sent the free-kick over the top.
They missed their best chance just two minutes later though when a clever through ball was sent between Carlisle and Richardson for Gary McSheffrey to race onto. The winger was onto the chance in a flash and had just Sullivan to beat but the keeper came out well and blocked the shot before Stern John sent the loose ball wide. Not for the first time this season, Sullivan had really rescued Leeds.
The home side had just started to get back into the game and United's lead was looking at risk when they hit Coventry on the break and were rewarded with a second goal.
Jermaine Wright flighted the pass over to Healy on the left and the striker took over and did the rest from there, running at a stretched defence and firing the ball into the far right hand corner of the net with a clinical finish.
The goal came just at the right time, breaking Coventry's spirit at a time when they had looked at their most potent.
Julian Joachim made an appearance of the bench and received a chorus of boos from the home fans who only last season were cheering him as one of their own.
Coventry did get a lifeline with nine minutes left when Leeds failed to clear a corner inside the area and Gary McSheffrey hooked the ball into the net past SUllivan.
It prompted Blackwell to make a tactical change and he took Lennon off and gave Mathew Spring a run.
Just before the goal Clarke Carlisle was booked, which at the time was his fifth of the season and meant he was set to serve a suspension after the FA Cup game against Birmingham City, but all that was to change a few minutes later.
He was judged to have tripped Stern John and the referee took the drastic action of showing another yellow card to the defender which was of course quickly followed by the red card. He left the field dejected and now misses the trip to Birmingham instead, where Leeds will also have skipper Paul Butler still unavailable through suspension, and the following game against Cardiff at Elland Road.
Leeds were forced to hang on for the final seven minutes plus four more of stoppage time but hang on they did and picked up three richly deserved points.
Pre-Match
Leeds were forced into making two changes to the side that lost to Crewe on New Year' Day, with skipper Paul Butler and Gary Kelly both suspended for the trip to Highfield Road.
Butler's place at the back was taken by Clarke Carlisle, a like-for-like replacement, whilst Kelly's absence at right back saw Frazer Richardson make the switch there from left-back. Danny Pugh went to left-back which opened up midfield for Simon Walton to return.
Matthew Spring recovered from a groin injury to take his place on the bench along with new signing Gylfi Einarsson, who played 30 minutes as a substitute on his debut on Saturday.
Coventry boss Peter Reid was able to name an unchanged side despite a virus sweeping through the Sky Blue camp. City went into the game on the back of a 2-1 win at Rotherham.
The Match
Leeds pressed early on and had an opportunity when Blake won the ball on the right touchline and delivered a cross towards Healy who had taken up position on the penalty spot, but the ball was just headed clear in time by Gary McSheffrey.
United have been picking up yellow cards with increasing frequency in recent games, although none have come as early as the one Matthew Kilgallon was given just nine minutes into the game after the referee spotted a pull on the back of Sky Blues striker Stern John's shirt. Dele Adebola, who has been on loan at Bradford City earlier this season, headed over from the free-kick.
Simon Walton might have done better with his header on 12 minutes after Aaron Lennon's cross found him on the edge of the area. The move came from skipper for the day Sean Gregan winning possession and using the full length of the pitch well with Wright and Lennon working together, and it should have at least tested the keeper.
Referee Nigel Miller was certainly getting into the swing of things early when with barely 13 minutes on the clock he booked City's Louis Carey after a foul on David Healy. Only four minutes passed before the United striker went into the book himself, cutting down Michael Doyle after the midfielder had just passed him.
When they weren't being disciplined by the referee, Leeds were actually playing some good football. They passed the ball well between themselves and created a number of chances, one of which should have been taken by Lennon but the teenager blazed his shot over the top and then smashed a drive into the backs of the Coventry defence after the ball came to him on the edge of the area from a corner kick.
With 24 minutes gone United appealed loudly for a clear handball inside the area but all they got instead was a corner and not the chance for David Healy to step up to the spot.
Peter Reid's side suffered a blow when Eddie Johnson limped off after just 25 minutes. He was replaced by Graham Barrett.
Then on 28 minutes came the goal Leeds had been threatening to score and it was first Leeds goal for Nathan Blake.
Lennon delivered a cross deep into the penalty area where the towering presence of Clarke Carlisle caused Coventry all kinds of problems and the ball broke for Blake 16-yards out and the Welsh striker showed great composure and blasted the ball high into the back of the goal, almost taking the netting away.
The only down point was that once more the referee brought out his cards as he booked Blake for his celebrations with the travelling Leeds fans.
Even after the goal it was still Leeds who continued to threaten the most, Lennon again coming close and Carlisle was sent forward as often as possible to see if he could further unsettle the Sky Blues defence.
On one rare occasion when United's defence looked threatened, Pugh eased the danger when he brought Carey's run to an end at the expense of a free-kick which was easily gathered by Neil Sullivan.
The Whites should have had a second goal a minute before the break when Wright delivered his eighth corner of the match straight to Blake just eight yards out. He stooped to head it but somehow got too much on the ball and it cleared the cross bar by about an inch.
The home side made one more change at half-time, taking Adebola off and replacing him with Neil Wood. Leeds remained the same.
The substitute went down inside the Leeds penalty area after just four minutes under pressure from Carlisle and Kilgallon, but no penalty was forthcoming and for his trouble Kilgallon appeared to pick up a knock which forced him off for treatment.
Coventry were given an oportunity to test Sullivan just before the hour mark when Gegan tripped Graham Barrett five yards outside the penalty area, but the same player sent the free-kick over the top.
They missed their best chance just two minutes later though when a clever through ball was sent between Carlisle and Richardson for Gary McSheffrey to race onto. The winger was onto the chance in a flash and had just Sullivan to beat but the keeper came out well and blocked the shot before Stern John sent the loose ball wide. Not for the first time this season, Sullivan had really rescued Leeds.
The home side had just started to get back into the game and United's lead was looking at risk when they hit Coventry on the break and were rewarded with a second goal.
Jermaine Wright flighted the pass over to Healy on the left and the striker took over and did the rest from there, running at a stretched defence and firing the ball into the far right hand corner of the net with a clinical finish.
The goal came just at the right time, breaking Coventry's spirit at a time when they had looked at their most potent.
Julian Joachim made an appearance of the bench and received a chorus of boos from the home fans who only last season were cheering him as one of their own.
Coventry did get a lifeline with nine minutes left when Leeds failed to clear a corner inside the area and Gary McSheffrey hooked the ball into the net past SUllivan.
It prompted Blackwell to make a tactical change and he took Lennon off and gave Mathew Spring a run.
Just before the goal Clarke Carlisle was booked, which at the time was his fifth of the season and meant he was set to serve a suspension after the FA Cup game against Birmingham City, but all that was to change a few minutes later.
He was judged to have tripped Stern John and the referee took the drastic action of showing another yellow card to the defender which was of course quickly followed by the red card. He left the field dejected and now misses the trip to Birmingham instead, where Leeds will also have skipper Paul Butler still unavailable through suspension, and the following game against Cardiff at Elland Road.
Leeds were forced to hang on for the final seven minutes plus four more of stoppage time but hang on they did and picked up three richly deserved points.