Resilient Leeds peg back Burnley as strikers haunt former clubs in feisty affair
Patrick Bamford and Chris Wood both scored against their former clubs as Leeds and Burnley settled for a 1-1 draw in a bulldozing clash at Turf Moor.
Within minutes, Burnley lived up to their reputation as the league’s most physical team when James Tarkowski needlessly wrestled Patrick Bamford to the floor in midfield. Leeds were willing to let their football do the talking, and began pushing the Clarets deep into their own half with their customary press.
Clear-cut chances were proving hard to craft, however. Instead, the story for much of the first-half centred around Burnley’s roughhouse approach.
Josh Brownhill cut Bamford down to earn a yellow card before Ashley Barnes flew in recklessly on Stuart Dallas at the cost of another Burnley booking. The striker appeared lucky the colour of the card was not red.
Leeds rolled with the punches and continued to look the more threatening of the two going forward. Charlie Taylor failed to deal with a Jack Harrison cross-field ball that led to a sight at goal for Raphinha.
The usually assured Brazilian lacked composure at the critical moment, however, lashing a tame effort wide of the mark.
“There was nobody there!”
Burnley are causing Leeds some problems, but Raphinha comes close for the visitors on the counter-attack ?
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With five minutes remaining in the half, Leeds were knocking at the door. Nick Pope got down quickly to push a Bamford cross to safety, while Harrison saw a half-volley blocked close to the line by Dwight McNeil.
Bamford was at the heart of the action at both ends of the pitch. In a whirlwind few minutes for the England international, he headed onto his own post while defending a corner before receiving treatment at the other end when hacked down by Ben Mee.
The second half began as you might have expected, with Barnes pushing his luck when standing on Phillips’ foot at the cost of yet another foul.
McNeil fired wide from distance before the foul-a-thon-resumed. Rodrigo clipped Taylor’s heels to pick up Leeds’ second booking after captain Phillips had seen yellow in the first half.
Burnley’s likeliest route of scoring always appeared to be from set pieces and so it proved after the hour mark.
Leeds failed to clear their lines after Meslier expertly tipped Tarkowski’s header onto the bar at full stretch. Matt Lowton tried his luck from near the penalty spot before Chris Wood guided the goal-bound effort beyond Meslier to open the scoring.
“The weight of pressure has finally told”
Chris Wood’s glancing touch leaves Meslier off-balance and it goes in off the goalkeeper!
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— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 29, 2021
With the clock winding down, Leeds finally pulled level through Bamford. Raphinha left his man for dead down the right before his strike was blocked into the path of Jamie Shackleton.
His effort took a ricochet on route to goal before Bamford stuck out a leg to deflect the ball into the open net.
That would prove to be the final decisive moment as both sides settled for a point in a rugged draw at Turf Moor.
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