Report: Leeds United 0-1 Wigan Athletic
Latics hold on for narrow win.
Sky Bet Championship
Leeds United 0
Wigan Athletic 1 (Hernandez O.G. 59)
Leeds: Casilla, Ayling, White, Cooper, Alioski (Roberts 64), Dallas, Klich, Hernandez, Harrison, Costa, Bamford. Subs not used: Meslier, Casey, Berardi, Shackleton, Poveda, Stevens.
Wigan: Marshall, Byrne, Morsy, Evans, Massey (Lowe 69), Pearce (Jacobs 84), Moore, Williams, Kipre, Dunkley, Naismith. Subs not used: Jones, Macleod, Roberts, Garner, Gelhardt.
Referee: T. Harrington
Booked: Massey, Naismith (Wigan)
Venue: Elland Road
Attendance: 35, 162 (519 Wigan)
For a second season in a row at Elland Road, Wigan Athletic recorded a narrow victory over Leeds United in the Sky Bet Championship.
Leeds started the game brightly, Patrick Bamford sent Helder Costa to the byline, he showed great skill to cut inside and break into the box, before firing at goal, but couldn’t get the better of David Marshall.
Pablo Hernandez put in a dangerous low free kick into the Wigan box, which deflected off Bamford, before going off target.
In the seventh minute, Jack Harrison did really well to work room for a shot and had Marshall beaten, but saw his attempt unluckily come back out off the post.
Sam Morsy tried his luck from long range for the visitors, forcing Kiko Casilla into a good stop, before the Whites cleared the danger.
At the other end Bamford did really well to work room for a shot, but once more Marshall kept the scores level with a fine stop.
Mateusz Klich provided a great dummy to reach the byline, his cut back was just behind Bamford who couldn’t turn the ball goal-wards, before it fell to Costa, but he struck inches over.
Leeds should have taken the lead in the 33rd minute. Bamford delivered a lovely ball to the back post where Harrison was, but he couldn’t convert the chance.
Joe Williams hit the side netting from a narrow angle at a Wigan free kick, before Dallas saw a shot well blocked as the teams went in level at the break.
Half time: Leeds United 0-0 Wigan Athletic
Like at the start of the first half, Leeds made a positive start to the second. A short corner was played to Costa who delivered a cross which found Bamford at the back post, but he couldn’t direct a header on target.
Cedric Kipre was then on hand to clear the ball off the line with Bamford lurking at a corner, before Dallas struck over from long range.
Against the run of play Wigan took the lead in the 59th minute. Joe Williams delivered a corner which nicked off the head of Pablo Hernandez, before looping and nestling into the corner of the net.
Captain Liam Cooper saw a penalty shout turned away at a corner, before Morsy tried his luck from distance forcing Casilla into action.
Leeds introduced Tyler Roberts in the second half and he almost had an immediate impact when Harrison did well on the left and found Hernandez. He duly teed up the Wales international, who saw his strike deflect narrowly wide.
Wigan broke from a Leeds corner in the 73rd minute through Kieffer Moore, but Ben White was on hand to recover and make a good block.
Former Leeds man Tom Pearce could have sealed the game with seven minutes of regular time remaining. He broke clear of the Leeds defence to go one-on-one with Casilla, but Dallas charged back to make a last ditch tackle.
Leeds continued to pile on the pressure in the closing stages, but Wigan continued to defend for their lives. At the death Patrick Bamford saw a header cleared off the line by the impressive Kipre in the Wigan defence, before Costa fired over, to ensure the three points went back to Lancashire.
Full time: Leeds United 0-1 Wigan Athletic
