Leeds United 2 Brighton and Hove Albion 2: Jack Harrison sums up befuddling afternoon - Yorkshire Post 11/3/23

Leeds United put their supporters through such a see-saw of emotions, it was a surprise they were not throwing up by full-time.

Stuart Rayner

After 90 minutes of torture, they were able to settle for a 2-2 draw which was hard to get your head around.

Given the season Brighton and Hove Albion are having, a point could never be a bad thing, even at a stage of the season where wins are badly needed. So to claim one after going behind twice was something to be proud of, even if large passages of Leeds play were disappointing.

But when the full-time whistle blew, they had dropped two places into the relegation zone with matches running out.

They made their fans uninspired, then angry, then defiant, deflated, believing again and eventually satisfied if not exactly ecstatic.

Jack Harrison summed up an afternoon. Generally out of sorts, he managed to kick-start his team into life by creating the first equaliser and win them a point with the second, but only after being debited with an own goal in between.

It was that sort of head-spinning game, not always full of the highest quality but bursting with the levels of excitement that makes Match of the Day so unmissable... usually.

But this stage of the season is not about entertainment, not when you are down around the dead men as Leeds are.

For the first 41 minutes it was as if someone had forgotten to turn Elland Road on.

At that stage, the crowd was starting to go beyond flat, into restless.

With Bournemouth having got a bonus win over Liverpool and Everton ahead inside a minute, Leeds had been too stand-offish in allowing Alexis Mac Allister to put the Seagulls in front.

In the 33rd minute, Gross twisted and turned Roca before crossing for Karou Mitoma. When he headed it back across. World Cup winner Mac Allister had it far too easy to head his side in front.

It was in keeping with Leeds' whole approach, opting to stand off Brighton's centre-backs and goalkeeper rather than get in their faces. Tactically it had its merits, but Leeds were so languid it was annoying their supporters.

With their wingers dropping back, it turned Leeds' formation into a 4-4-2 to match Brighton's.

When Brighton's defenders passed it around unmolested for the umpteenth time, this time in the Whites half, after 38 minutes, the earlier groans turned into full-throated boos.

Then three minutes later, the switch was flicked.

Harrison chased down his full-back, won the ball, gave it to Patrick Bamford and watched him smash it in via a deflection and the crossbar.

Elland Road was back to being what it should be.

Bamford hit the side netting a minute later after chasing onto a Brenden Aaronson pass.

On the back of that, the crowd whipped itself into a frenzy at the start of the second half as Aaronson shot over then saw another effort dribble wide.

Harrison had a shot blocked and Ayling fluffed another after the ball fell to him at the back post.

Even Firpo's tackle on March ramped up the atmosphere.

So for Brighton to retake the lead was an absolute killer and a real calamity..

Mitoma put a cross over in the 62nd minute and Wober crashed it into Meslier's skill. March and Harrison slid in on the rebound and the Leeds man got the last touch.

Meslier tipped around the post after March failed to get hold of a shot and came out crucially to stop Danny Welbeck scoring shortly after coming on. He beat Koch and Wober far too easily.

So once again the mood was depressed again, only for Harrison to pull a goal from nowhere, as alert as Willy Gnonto was and Brighton were not when the Italian took a short corner which he curled inside the far post.

It left 12 minutes plus stoppage time for either team to win it but the clarity of a victor was far too clear-cut for this confusing match.