Town suffered their heaviest defeat of the Kieran McKenna era as they were comfortably beaten 4-0 by Leeds United in this afternoon’s third-v-second clash at Elland Road. Home skipper Pascal Struijk put the Whites ahead with an eighth-minute header, a Leif Davis own goal against his old club put Leeds two in front on 25, before Crysencio Summerville’s penalty just before the whistle made it 3-0 at the break. Seven minutes after the restart, Joel Piroe added a fourth for the Whites, who are now seven points behind the second-placed Blues.

Boss McKenna made one change from the team which drew 2-2 at home with Norwich City last week with Axel Tuanzebe coming in for Luke Woolfenden.

Tuanzebe joined Cameron Burgess at the heart of the defence with Woolfenden dropping to the bench, where there was one further change with Dominic Ball coming in and Dane Scarlett left out of the 20.

Leeds named the same side as drew 1-1 at home to Coventry a week ago but with Ian Poveda and Junior Firpo replacing Jaidon Anthony and Luke Ayling among the subs.

The home side began the game on the front foot but on five Nathan Broadhead did well to find Wes Burns in space on the right but his cross was too long for George Hirst.

However, the Whites tool the lead in the eighth minute. A corner was whipped over from the left, Vaclav Hladky saved Joel Piroe’s header sharply down to his right but home skipper Struijk was there to nod into the empty net.

Town were unhappy with the goal as Conor Chaplin had appeared to have been fouled in the move ahead of the corner, referee Stephen Martin, the official who disallowed Marcus Harness’s goal at home to Barnsley last season, having waved away the forward’s protests.

With their crowd now in full voice, Leeds went looking for a second, counter-attacking after a Blues move had broken down before Dan James shot wide from an angle on the right of the box.

As the game passed the 20-minute mark, the Blues were struggling to get out of their own half with Leeds controlling the game and dominating.

However, on 23, the Blues put together a neatly-worked move from which Broadhead shot just wide of Leeds keeper Illan Meslier’s right post. Chaplin had been kicked up in the air in the build-up by Ethan Ampadu, referee Martin indicating he had played the advantage, with the Wales international fortunate to have avoided a yellow card.

But three minutes later, it was 2-0. Leeds broke with Town having too many men caught up field - again with a suspicion of a foul as the Blues lost the ball - and Summerville got round the outside of Harry Clarke on the left of the box and sent over a low cross which beat Burgess but struck former Leeds man Davis on the shin and bounced over the line.

Town went looking for the goal which would give them a foothold in the match and on 27 they went very close. Davis crossed from the left to Chaplin not far outside the area from where the Blues joint-top scorer struck a shot which beat Meslier to his left but hit the post and bounced away.

Two minutes later, Clarke was shown the game’s first yellow card after the ball caught his arm after it had bounced awkwardly to him as he looked to cut out a through ball for Summerville, who had been the home side’s biggest threat.

On 34, James joined the Town right-back in the book for a foul on Davis as the left-back was bursting from deep on the left.

The Blues’ and Davis’s half got even worse a minute before the scheduled end when the Whites went 3-0 in front via a penalty.

Summerville was played in on the left of the area and Davis upended the Dutch forward. Referee Martin had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and it looked the correct decision.

Summerville took the kick himself and sent it high into the roof of the net to Hladky’s right with the keeper moving to his left.

The half-time whistle was greeted enthusiastically by the home support with their side having dominated and all but won the match in the first half.

The Blues had never been able to get on top during the period with Leeds having got the early goal and then continued to control the game from there, with their goals notably the result directly or indirectly of counter-attacks after Town forays forward had broken down.

Davis was unfortunate with the own goal, but could have little complaint about the penalty.

Three minutes after the restart, Leeds went close to getting their fourth. Piroe was sent away on the right of the box and smashed a shot from a tight angle which beat Hladky but slammed against the underside of the bar, across the six-yard area and away from goal.

The home side had continued the second half as they had ended the first and in the 52nd minute, they made it 4-0.

Tuanzebe and Clarke both failed to clear when they had opportunities to do so as Leeds once again counter-attacked and the ball fell to Piroe just inside the area from where the former Swansea man lashed into the net.

Perhaps looking to do the Blues psychological damage in the battle for automatic promotion, the buoyant Whites continued looking for goals, Archie Gray seeing an effort deflect wide four minutes after the fourth goal.

On the hour, Tuanzebe was booked after he and Summerville tangled as the Leeds wideman burst towards the area on the left. The Whites made their first change as they prepared to take the free-kick, Wilfried Gnonto taking over from James.

In the 65th minute, Broadhead was yellow-carded for a frustrated late foul on Gray after a promising through ball to Hirst had been cut out.

While Gray was undergoing treatment, Town swapped skipper Morsy, who moments earlier had come close to his 10th yellow card of the season for a challenge the referee had harshly deemed a foul, Hirst, Broadhead and Burns for Ball, Kayden Jackson, Marcus Harness and Omari Hutchinson.

Leeds went close to a fifth in the 71st minute when Georginio Rutter hit a 20-yard effort which struck the top of the bar and looped over. Soon after, the Whites switched Djed Spence for Firpo and Glen Kamara for Ilia Gruev.

With the game effectively all over, Leeds fans began to cheer their side’s passes, while the Blues tried to keep looking for a goal but unconvincingly.

Leeds swapped Rutter and Piroe for Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford in the 82nd minute, emphasising the strength in depth the Whites, relegated from the Premier League last season, possess.

Town switched Davis for Brandon Williams for the final six minutes with the former Leeds man, who had been booed by his old supporters earlier in the game, leaving the field on the far side and making his way round the pitch, getting some stick but more applause, which he understatedly acknowledged, as he did so.

As the game entered five minutes of time added on, Ball was booked for a foul in the centre circle when the midfielder looked to have won the ball.

The final minutes were played out without further incident before the home fans’ celebrations began at the whistle.

Town can have no complaints about the result having been well beaten by a Leeds side which was on top from the start with their expensively-assembled front players making the Blues pay, particularly on the counter-attack.

At the other end, Town, who were never in control of the game at any stage, unusually didn’t manage a shot on target with Chaplin’s strike off the woodwork the nearest to a visitors’ goal.

The defeat, the Blues’ first double of the season with only West Brom and Leicester able to repeat the feat, is the first time a McKenna Town team has been beaten by more than two goals, something which itself has only happened three times previously.

But Town, who it shouldn’t be forgotten were two divisions below Leeds last season and have a budget a fraction of the home side’s, remain second in the Championship, still seven points ahead of the Whites as the season reaches its halfway point.

Leaders Leicester, who beat table-propping Rotherham United 3-0 at home later in the afternoon, visit the Blues on Boxing Day with Town hoping to bounce back from today’s disappointment.

Leeds: Meslier, Gray, Spence (Firpo 73), Struijk (c), Rodon, Ampadu, Kamara (Gruev 73), James (Gnoto 61), Summerville, Rutter (Joseph 82), Piroe (Bamford 82). Unused: Darlow, Cooper, Poveda, Gelhardt.

Town: Hladky, Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess, Davis (Williams 86), Morsy (c) (Ball 67), Luongo, Burns (Hutchinson 67), Chaplin, Broadhead (Harness 67), Hirst (Jackson 67). Unused: Walton, Woolfenden, Taylor, Ladapo. Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire). Att: 36,758.

Photo: Action Images

Hatman2 added 15:11 - Dec 23 Ok awful day at the office. What’s so important now is what happens next - it’s just 3 points today, we have to get the show back on the road asap, and can Leeds / Southampton attain the consistency they need to get anywhere near us.
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ImAbeliever added 15:13 - Dec 23 I’ll call that a 0-2. OGs and penalties are not real goals. We must continue to thrash everyone else and we’ll be ok.
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jas0999 added 15:14 - Dec 23 Comprehensively outplayed and deservedly beaten. No complaints. The Leeds squad is far superior to ours, but yet we remain seven points clear, which is incredible when you think about it. We must now beat a very good Leicester team. This is not a knee jerk comment, but it’s clear our defence is not good enough. We have shipped a lot of goals this season. We’ve scored lots too, but can’t rely on that every game. Hopefully some top class defenders will join in January.

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Hatman2 added 15:15 - Dec 23 At half time I felt Leeds had the absolute maximum return from not a huge amount of pressure in the game…, what with the foul not given on Chaplin for the first goal, then an own goal and a penalty, they’d created 1 strong chance and were 3 - 0 up, we’d created 2 strong chances and not converted. The game has just gone away from us in the 2nd half. Not good enough in the little details. Let’s not let one game define our season - learn, but quickly onto the next one. COYB.

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VanDusen added 15:18 - Dec 23 Disappointing, but the unexpected 6 points off Middlesbrough and Watford, with their defeat at Sunderland means we have the leeway to the no surprise defeat today. A point against Leicester would be nice but not essential. The key thing is to hit the ground running again v QPR on Friday.
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number8 added 15:19 - Dec 23 Flattering scoreline looking at it as a whole. Three Christmas gifts of goals. Leeds however did deserve that very compact and yet direct. I could have issue with a fair few players but I was most frustrated with Horst. Yes his support was garbage and his revive but when he had it he gave it straight to a white shirt countless times and then they attacked again. You have to take sometimes just suck up these games and move on and we three days in which to do that.

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number8 added 15:20 - Dec 23 Hirst even
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Bert added 15:24 - Dec 23 A chastening defeat but one which we sort of expected might come at Leeds. We have enjoyed two incredible seasons and if we keep to KMcK’s principles and strengthen our defence I don’t think we will be tonked like that again. Only Blueboy can delight in defeat. The rest of us are, thankfully, more balanced with our emotional intelligence.
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number8 added 15:24 - Dec 23 And his support. Geez less IPA when watching.
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Bert added 15:36 - Dec 23 Blueboy81 I don’t mark up or down any poster who posts in bad faith. The best I can say is try to have a happy Christmas.
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SickParrot added 15:36 - Dec 23 We're still second in the table, seven points clear of Leeds, so we've not done too much wrong this season but that was painful viewing. We were poor at West Brom but today was embarrassing. Except for two moments in the first half we couldn't keep the ball and Leeds looked like scoring everytime we lost the ball. Leeds were faster, stronger, braver and more skillful. KM has done brilliantly with the players he has and at our best we are a match for most teams in this division, but I think it's clear that when we're not at our best sides like Leicester, Leeds and West Brom are far better. We must therefore sign more quality in January. I am sure that KM will have learned some important lessons today about his players and his tactics.

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thatsbonkers added 15:41 - Dec 23 An outstanding start to our return to the Championship. The fact we were 10 points clear of a classy Leeds team at kick-off is credit to all concerned. Lots to learn from this and I look forward to the reaction on Boxing Day. Complete faith that McKenna will do his usual post-match analysis and learn lessons from today. Keep going Town…still everything to play for.

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blues1 added 15:52 - Dec 23 Makes me laugh how many are saying don't the club realise that if we go up, teams will be like that every week. You really think they don't? And don't you also think that if we do go up, they'll be buying players in the summer, to deal with that?
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Kirbmeister added 15:55 - Dec 23 I didn’t expect anything from this game and at least we’re not playing Leeds again this season. Regarding the January transfer window - forget signing any quality. Clubs will hang in to their best players for obvious reasons. Very little usually happens in the January window.
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Kirbmeister added 15:55 - Dec 23 I didn’t expect anything from this game and at least we’re not playing Leeds again this season. Regarding the January transfer window - forget signing any quality. Clubs will hang in to their best players for obvious reasons. Very little usually happens in the January window.
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therein61 added 16:07 - Dec 23 Bad day at the office we were lucky to only concede 4 but we go on to the next one and need to lift everyone in the ground Boxing day after this lame showing this shot up the rear end was needed imo as we have been a bit complacent of late so you boys get it back together after the ear bashing you deserved today.
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algarvefan added 16:14 - Dec 23 Beaten by a better team on the day and our own performance was poor for once. A lot of thinking to be done by McKenna before Tuesday evenings game and the first real test of his 2 years in charge. Keep the faith guys, it's just one game.
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PSGBlue added 16:16 - Dec 23 We got stuffed today more than my turkey will be on Christmas Day. Most teams in this league we can out score over 90 mins. But this wasn’t the case today with Leeds boasting the 2nd best defence in the league. We need a plan B when approaching teams like Leeds and Leicester, a let’s not get beat attitude and revert to a more defensive tactic, much like Norwich did last Saturday. McK has got a brilliant attacking team, but sometimes when all what’s required is a draw, there is no plan B

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BcarefulwhatUWish4 added 16:18 - Dec 23 Worth remembering that we were League 1 last season and we haven't made many changes to that team. Leeds Utd were in the Premier League, have a wage bill that dwarfs our own and a strike force that costs more than our entire squad. Like Plymouth did last year in League 1, we've been the surprise package. Very few people expected Plymouth pre-season to get into the top 6, let alone win the league. Our squad has also done the impossible so far and shaken up most people's predictions (1-Leicester, 2-Leeds, 3-Southampton). We've done incredibly well to be 7 points clear in 2nd place at Xmas. Yes, result was a shocker. Only a few weeks back Portsmouth got badly beaten at home (5 or 6-1) and they came back with a string a solid wins after. We need to dig deep, beat Leicester and do the same. We don't that gap to shrink to 4 points.

3

warwickblue added 16:20 - Dec 23 I wasn't expecting anything other than a loss today. Fair to say, I think, that the second half of the season is going to be a bit tougher than the first but hopefully just as entertaining. We were made to look ordinary today by some really good players. 4-0 probably a fair reflection.
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clint_eastwood added 16:31 - Dec 23 Need a new right back come January. Clarke was at fault again....he was backing off, backing off...then was brushed aside by a pacey lightweight winger. That's the 4th time he's been brushed aside in previous games, same mistake, WTF!. So fed-up, need replacing.
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Nomore4 added 16:39 - Dec 23 Oh well….that’s 3 defeats in 40 odd league games……Next
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 16:41 - Dec 23 Our pressing and attacking approach and sticking to our principles has worked well up to now against the weaker sides in the Championship, but I do wonder, like others on here, whether we need a more defensive Plan B against top drawer opposition like Leeds when we know how they are going to play. Maybe something KMcK needs to develop in his thinking? Today was a wake-up call. What is important now is the reaction. COYB! Kudos to the Tractor boys and girls who travelled and had to endure the Leeds fans.

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atty added 16:50 - Dec 23 No plan B. We all know how good Leeds are up front and on the counter. They scored 4 at PR ffs. Is it too much ask for flexibility tactically if only for the first 15/20 mins. They were walking through us on the flanks, that’s when there were actually blue shirts “marking” them. Defo need more quality/competition up top, in CM, and a leader at the back.Surely there an experienced warrior out there who could do a job for us.

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carlgibbs13 added 16:57 - Dec 23 Disappointed? yes. Surprised? No. We were always due a bad patch at some point and this could be it. I feel we will also lose to Leicester, but I’d rather lose to these big clubs when it doesn’t impact our league position. We are second, and will still be in the new year. The other 3 teams in the top 4 were all premier league teams last year while we were league 1. And look at us mixing with them now. Yes, today was disappointing but to be honest, if we were offered 6th place now, all of us would take it. And I’d still hold my head up and be proud of what the team has achieved this season. The teams around us will drop points in the new year and our fate is still in our hands. So let’s put today behind us, not have too high expectations for Boxing Day and we go again against QPR and get our season back on track. COYBs.

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