REPORT: RAMS HOLD UNITED IN THRILLING DRAW

REPORT: RAMS HOLD UNITED IN THRILLING DRAW

2015 is brought to a close with a 2-2 draw at Elland Road...

UNITED 2 (Bamba 42, Wood 71), DERBY 2 (Hendrick 13, Ince 78)

United team: Silvestri, Wootton, Bamba, Cooper, Taylor, Byram (Phillips 88), Adeyemi (Cook 63), Bridcutt, Murphy, Dallas, Wood (Doukara 75). Subs: Peacock-Farrell, Coyle, Bellusci, Antenucci.

Derby team: Grant, Christie, Keogh, Warnock, Shackell (Shotton 36), Hendrick, Russell, Johnson, Butterfield, Weimann (Ince 76), Bent (Martin 62). Subs: Mitchell, Baird, Hanson, Thorne.

Referee: Mark Heywood

Booked: Byram, Bridcutt, Murphy (United), Hendrick, Christie (Derby)

Att: 23,027 (1,472 Derby) 

The midweek visit of Derby County, United's final fixture of 2015, saw head coach Steve Evans make two changes from the previous weekend's 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, with captain Sol Bamba returning to defence in place of Giuseppe Bellusci and Tom Adeyemi replacing Lewis Cook in midfield.

United saw plenty of the ball inside the early stages but the opening 10 minutes passed without incident as the only effort on goal came through a speculative Sam Byram strike which sailed well over the crossbar as the winger lost his footing.

The deadlock was broken on the 13th-minute mark in favour of the visitors, though, as Jeff Hendrick worked his way into the area before lofting the ball over Marco Silvestri from close-range.

Leeds looked to mount a quick response and soon threatened an equaliser through Adeyemi, who was on target in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, but the midfielder’s towering header from Byram’s cross flew over Lee Grant’s bar.

Jacob Butterfield saw a strike blocked at the opposite end, but United were starting to press in search of an equaliser and Adeyemi turned another header over from another Byram cross.

United did manage find an equaliser just three minutes before the break through the unlikely source of Bamba, the defender turning home his first of the season from close-range after Derby failed to deal with a free-kick from deep which was returned goalwards by Stuart Dallas.

Openings at both ends were created in three minutes of first-half stoppage time, with Johnny Russell curling over the bar for the visitors after picking up a short corner on the edge of the area, before Chris Wood drove forward before seeing his strike blocked as the sides went in level at the break.

United did manage find an equaliser just three minutes before the break through the unlikely source of Bamba, the defender turning home his first of the season from close-range after Derby failed to deal with a free-kick from deep which was returned goalwards by Stuart Dallas.

Openings at both ends were created in three minutes of first-half stoppage time, with Johnny Russell curling over the bar for the visitors after picking up a short corner on the edge of the area, before Chris Wood drove forward before seeing his strike blocked as the sides went in level at the break.

The teams unchanged re-emerged from the interval and it was Derby who started the second period the brighter of the two, former United midfielder Bradley Johnson smashing over from the edge of the area after Silvestri had pushed Hendrick’s cross into his path.

Clear-cut chances were at a premium, though, and Dallas let fly from range but saw his well-hit strike gathered comfortably by Grant.

Both managers were prompted into changes just after the hour mark, with Derby replacing Darren Bent with Chris Martin in attack, while United introduced Lewis Cook in place of Adeyemi.

Then, inside the 71st minute, Elland Road was brought to its feet as United took the lead for the first time in the game as Wood nodded home an inch-perfect Byram cross from the right in front of the jubilant Kop.

Derby also made a change, bringing Tom Ince on in place of Weimann, and it soon paid dividends as the former Blackpool and Hull City winger fired an equaliser into the bottom corner within minutes of entering the pitch to pull his side level.

A frantic closing 10 minutes followed, with both sides searching for a late winner. Hendrick had an effort deflected over the bar for Derby after turning inside the area, while Luke Murphy forced Grant to push his 20-yard free-kick behind as it looked to creep into the bottom corner.

There proved to be no way through, though, and United ended 2015 by extending their unbeaten run to six games after a thrilling draw.

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