UNITED IN OPENING DAY DRAW

UNITED IN OPENING DAY DRAW

Late goals as the spoils are shared with Burnley...

UNITED 1 (Antenucci 83), BURNLEY 1 (Vokes 86)

United team: Silvestri, Berardi, Bamba, Bellusci, Taylor, Cook (Wootton 89), Adeyemi, Mowatt (Doukara 89), Byram, Dallas (Antenucci 70), Wood. Subs. Turnbull, Cooper, Phillips, Erwin.

Burnley team: Heaton, Darikwa, Duff, Keane, Mee, Kightly (Taylor 89), Jones, Arfield, Boyd, Vossen (Sordell 69), Jutkiewicz (Vokes 69). Subs. Gilks, Ward, Anderson, Dummigan.

Referee: K Friend

Booked: Bamba (United), Arfield, Kightly (Burnley)

Att: 27,672 (1,719 Burnley)

United's 2015/16 campaign got underway with a televised lunchtime kick-off at home to Burnley, and Uwe Rosler - taking to the Leeds dug-out for his first competitive game - handed league debuts to summer signings Tom Adeyemi, Stuart Dallas and Chris Wood.

Elland Road was a cauldron of noise as the hosts kicked-off but it was it was the visitors, Burnley, who had the game’s first sight of goal inside the fifth minute, Lukas Jutkiewicz acrobatically turning a back-post cross over Marco Silvestri’s bar.

The atmosphere made for a lively start to proceedings and Leeds soon looked to be finding their rhythm as newest recruit Dallas twice came close. His first attempt saw Burnley ‘keeper Tom Heaton tip his half-volley up and against the crossbar after Sam Byram’s delivery from the right, while Heaton managed to hold his second effort – a back-post volley – after another flowing move. 

Giuseppe Bellusci then forced Heaton into another stop to hold his speculative effort and Wood had a first-time blocked on the edge of the area as Rosler’s side enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges.

Burnley threatened through Michael Kightly, side-footing a low effort across Silvestri’s goal and just inches wide of his far post, and then Jelle Vossen, as the United stopper pushed away his near-post flick.

United ended an absorbing opening 45 minutes strongly, with both Sol Bamba and Gaetano Berardi spurning half chances, but it remained deadlocked as referee Kevin Friend signalled for the break.

Both sides re-emerged unchanged and – after a relatively subdued restart – the second period burst into life as Alex Mowatt was a whisker away from opening the scoring with a low, left-footed strike from the edge of the area.

It was the result of another swift break up-field from the hosts and United came close again just two minutes later as Adeyemi blazed over the bar after surging onto Byram’s downwards header inside the box.

Wood then raced onto a Byram flick-on and smashed a first-time effort over Heaton’s bar as Leeds – who were looking to most likely to break the deadlock – ramped up the pressure.

With nothing to separate the two sides with 20 minutes remaining on the clock, both manages were prompted into their first changes of the afternoon. The impressive Dallas made way for Mirco Antenucci, while Sean Dyche replaced Jutkiewicz and Vossen in attack with Sam Vokes and Marvin Sordell.

And Antenucci was involved almost immediately, carving his way through the Clarets’ defence before lofting an effort over from a wide angle in front of the South Stand.

The Italian striker then opened the scoring with a moment of brilliance with just seven minutes remaining on the clock, cutting inside from the right before unleashing an unstoppable, left-footed curler beyond the helpless Heaton to raise the roof at Elland Road.

But United’s lead lasted just a matter of three minutes and former Leeds loanee levelled proceedings with a powerful header in front of the Kop.

Five minutes of stoppage time were added and Antenucci threatened again late on, but there was no way through as the opening day spoils were shared.

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