No special festive moment for Leeds United - and do they have a genuine number nine? Final word on draw against Coventry City — Yorkshire Post 17/12/23

IT TANTALISINGLY looked like being one of those special festive moments for Leeds United.

By Leon Wobschall

Think back to that Kemar Roofe winner at Villa Park or his brace against Blackburn a week later when the roof came off Elland Road at Christmas 2018 and you get the picture.

On this occasion in stoppage time, Dan James was played in adroitly by substitute Joe Gelhardt and the net was beckoning and ready to bulge amid an explosion of Kop delight.

Alas, the winger - who had scored in his five previous home games - fluffed his lines for once and there was a collective sigh.

Even Daniel Farke, never one to show his emotions and be overly demonstrative in his technical area, showed his angst.

That was the moment for Leeds; the moment to not only secure three points which would have been as big as any in their season so far, but strike a psychological blow ahead of their meeting with second-placed Ipswich.

Instead, the gap remains at ten points between themselves and Leeds and not eight.

On a day when the Tractor Boys’ own juggernaut coughed up a bit of smoke against Norwich, Leeds could not convert a lorry load of chances in the second half to see off Coventry.

It was not an afternoon when Leeds moved effortlessly through the gears as they can against a Sky Blues side whose wily manager Mark Robins got things tactically on point.

Yet they conjured enough chances to register an eighth successive home league win, but didn’t find the killer within themselves.

It was an occasion when Georginio Rutter did what he does. Produce some delightfully intricate footwork than competitors on the Strictly Come Dancing final would have been proud of and bewitch defenders, but also infuriate with a wonky radar in front of goal at times.

In fairness, Rutter did produce another exquisite assist, which enabled Crysencio Summerville to get the run on his hitherto attentive marker in Milan van Ewijk and coolly convert his tenth goal of the campaign to put United relievingly ahead a few minutes before the hour.

Summerville had his moments, although he lost his cool late on with substitute Kasey Palmer in a fractious finale, with another brief commotion following the final whistle. It was that sort of afternoon.

James left his shooting boots at home for once, while Joel Piroe was strangely - and somewhat worryingly - off colour.

Even accounting for the presence of Patrick Bamford and Willy Gnonto in their striking stable, the question remains. For all their riches in the final third, do Leeds possess a bonafide goal-hanging number nine whose raison d’etre is just lurk in the box and be a killer?

After his side’s weary performance at Sunderland in midweek, Farke was more focused on reaction as opposed to rotation.

He would probably also have been mindful that Coventry had a day less to prepare.

Robins beefed up his central midfield and left three attacking players on the bench from midweek.

Doncaster-born Joel Latibeaudiere - on Leeds’s books as a youngster - pushed his luck at times, surviving a couple of shouts for penalties.

Referee Geoff Eltringham, who won’t be on the Christmas card list among home patrons, was not interested. Latibeaudiere, in fairness, had a good game.

The game plan was to block out Leeds’s lanes out wide and congest the central areas in front of the defence where Piroe and Rutter like to operate.

Aside from a couple of occasions in the first half, it worked. Probably up until their wall being breached in truth when Rutter beautifully unlocked the door and Summerville struck

After the opener, Robins got two attacking players prepared in Callum O’Hare and Haji Wright.

Just as they were about to come on, his side equalised. He elected to throw them on anyway and went for it.

The Sky Blues’ leveller was avoidable. Ex-Barnsley loanee Bobby Thomas started the move by striding out of defence.

Coventry found space down the right and threw a cross into the mixer for the only time on the day - they had no corners or dangerous free-kicks as such.

Tatsuhiri Sakamoto’s centre flew towards Thomas who had continued to steam forward and planted a header home. No doubting Thomas.

Suitably irked, Leeds pushed for a winner. Summerville was denied by Collins as was Rutter, twice. Joe Rodon missed a late chance and then James. Alas.