Last-gasp Raphinha penalty hands Leeds victory over Crystal Palace - Independent 30/11/21
Leeds 1-0 Palace: Marcelo Bielsa’s side climbed to 15th in the Premier League with the win
Mark Walker
Raphinha’s stoppage-time penalty clinched Leeds a 1-0 home
win against Crystal Palace and three much-needed Premier League points.
The Brazilian’s spot-kick in the third minute of added time,
after Palace defender Marc Guehi had handled, raised the roof at Elland Road
and secured Leeds just their third league win of the season.
It was a dramatic finale to what seemed set to be another
frustrating night for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who could have been on the end of
a defeat had Palace substitute Christian Benteke not headed a golden
second-half chance wide.
Leeds’ victory lifted them five points clear of the
relegation zone and sent Palace spinning to back-to-back league defeats for the
first time under boss Patrick Vieira.
The first half fizzled out after a promising start, with
both sides losing their way down cul-de-sacs each time they worked the ball
into the final third.
Leeds tore into their opponents from the off in pursuit of a
galvanising victory, but Palace stood firm under the early onslaught and helped
set a frantic tempo.
Adam Forshaw fired narrowly wide from the edge of the
penalty area in the 15th minute and Jeffrey Schlupp went just as close for
Palace with a similar effort soon after.
Kalvin Phillips, restored to his favoured midfield holding
role, burst through two challenges on to the edge of the area but blazed high
and wide.
Bielsa made two changes at the interval, sending on Rodrigo
and Junior Firpo for Mateusz Klich and Pascal Struijk.
Firpo’s first contribution was to misplace a pass and then
concede a free-kick as Jordan Ayew scampered clear, but Conor Gallagher’s
free-kick hit the wall and Wilfried Zaha miscued the rebound.
Leeds responded with their best move of the match.
Raphinha’s brilliant crossfield ball picked out Dan James and the Wales
forward’s pass into the area was pushed wide by Rodrigo.
The home crowd turned up the volume as Leeds began to build
momentum, but clear-cut chances continued to elude them.
Forshaw rifled over at the end of one period of sustained
pressure, while Palace remained a threat with Zaha and Ayew the targets as they
looked to hit Leeds on the counter.
Palace boss Vieira sensed the points were very much up for
grabs when he sent on Benteke for Odsonne Edouard in the 67th minute.
The Belgium striker was then guilty of squandering the best
chance of the match so far when heading Gallagher’s cross wide at the back post
seven minutes later.
Leeds forced three successive corners, all scrambled clear,
and Benteke went close to breaking the deadlock again when stretching onto
Ayew’s speculative cross, only for Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier to snaffle
the ball on the goal line.
Tyler Roberts’ curling effort was easily saved by Palace
goalkeeper Vicente Guaita before another Raphinha corner led to the decisive
penalty.
Referee Kevin Friend checked the pitch-side monitor after
Liam Cooper’s header struck Guehi’s raised hand and Raphinha converted the
spot-kick in the third minute of added time.