Report: Derby County 0-1 Leeds United

Report: Derby County 0-1 Leeds United

Roofe gives Leeds the advantage.

Sky Bet Championship Play-Off semi-final first leg


Derby County 0

Leeds United 1 (Roofe 55)

 

Derby: Roos, Tomori, Keogh, Wilson, Mount, Lawrence (Huddlestone 86), Johnson, Holmes (Bennett 70), Nugent (Marriott 64), Bogle, Malone.  Subs not used: Carson, Jozefzoon, Evans, MacDonald.

Leeds: Casilla, Ayling, Cooper, Berardi, Dallas, Phillips, Forshaw (Shackleton 24), Klich, Hernandez, Harrison, Roofe (Clarke 81).  Subs not used: Peacock-Farrell, Brown, Struijk, Gotts, Bogusz.

 

Booked: Lawrence, Keogh, Holmes, Huddlestone (Derby), Berardi, Cooper, Klich (Leeds)

Referee: C. Pawson

 

Attendance: 31,723

Venue: Pride Park

Leeds United 

Kemar Roofe’s 55th minute goal gave Leeds United a 1-0 victory over Derby County at Pride Park, giving the Whites the advantage ahead of Wednesday’s Sky Bet Championship Play-Off second leg at Elland Road.

Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa made one change to his starting line-up, with Gaetano Berardi coming in for the injured Pontus Jansson.

Derby went close inside six minutes, Tom Lawrence hit a curling strike from 25 yards, but his effort went wide.

Gaetano Berardi was on hand to make a great challenge on David Nugent to deny him a shot after he was played into the Leeds box by Harry Wilson, before Leeds had a first attempt, with Mateusz Klich striking wide following a corner.

Stuart Dallas came so close to giving Leeds the lead in the 12th minute, he hit a lovely curling strike from 25 yards, which so nearly found the top corner.

The Whites then had an opportunity at a corner, Klich sliced an effort which Liam Cooper headed into the path of Kemar Roofe who tried an audacious bicycle kick, but his attempt was off target.

Leeds were forced to shuffle the pack in the 23rd minute, with Adam Forshaw appearing to pick up a hamstring injury and he was replaced by Jamie Shackleton.

Wilson was then played into the Leeds box, but Kiko Casilla was alert to make a good low save.

Luke Ayling did well on the right flank, nut-megging Scott Malone, and going past Fikayo Tomori, but his pull back took a deflection to take it out of the path of Mateusz Klich.

Leeds applied a lot of pressure in the closing stages of the first half, but were unable to make it count, as the two sides went in level at the break.

Half time: Derby County 0-0 Leeds United

Leeds United

Leeds made a bright start to the second period, Klich put a good cross into the Derby box and Jack Harrison saw an effort well blocked by Jayden Bogle.

The Whites took the lead 10 minutes into the second half, after the referee played a great advantage, Harrison delivered a superb cross from the left flank and Roofe fired Leeds in front, to send the 2,800 travelling Leeds supporters crazy.

A minute later Leeds and Roofe nearly had a second, following some good build up, Roofe was denied by a fine save from Kelle Roos from the edge of the box and from the resulting corner the Leeds striker headed over.

In the 63rd minute Leeds created another opportunity, Shackleton did well down the right and his low cross was met by Hernandez, but he scuffed his strike.

Cooper saw a penalty appeal turned away at a free-kick, before Derby went close.  Scott Malone fired a dangerous ball right across the face of the Leeds goal, but no Derby player could turn it in.

In the 78th minute, Derby were awarded a penalty after Bogle went down under a challenge by Harrison, however after deliberation with his linesman, the decision was overturned.

Nine minutes from time, some lovely build up play led to Harrison teeing up Shackleton to strike, but Roos pulled off another fine save.

Hernandez sent Ayling to the byline with a lovely through ball, but nobody could get on the end of his pull-back, as the Whites had to settle for a single goal advantage at the halfway point of the tie.

Full time: Derby County 0-1 Leeds United

Leeds United

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