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

SheffieldTractor added 17:07 - Dec 23 KM spot on as usual. A few shocking decisions plus our own inability to defend predictable situations was the difference first half. Second half Leeds gave us a lesson in game management, while we seemed caught between twisting or sticking. We have improved SO much in 2023, much due to KM's giving his players the awareness and confidence to assess and adjust on the pitch - but our game management has a lot of scope for improvement still. The 2nd half of the season will be harder. Clubs are filled with data analysts now and we are being sussed out. The gap behind Davis (our own Alexander Arnold) is being exploited, some of our building patterns look familiar to opposition presses and Chaplin's incredible ability to find space near the penalty spot is being strangled. I'm glad we have leadership that is not going to over-react to one (al-be-it somewhat) humiliating defeat. We will stick to the principles that have made 2023 one of the best in the club's proud history, making small improvements, constantly learning and will continue to punch above our weight. Where that takes us, we will see, but KM will keep us on a trajectory of progress so long as he is at this club.

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Bluearmy_81 added 17:13 - Dec 23 Same fcukwit ref that disallowed Harness’s perfectly good goal against Barnsley last season. Mountain to climb after the first goal.
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blueboy1981 added 17:33 - Dec 23 People continue to crack on about ‘what we’ve done’ so far this season - yes, Great but that’s all past now, it’s what we do now as the going gets tougher, throughout the rest of the season that matters. Our weakness’s are now known by all opposition - we either correct and eliminate, or the opposition will capitalise - today was an exposure of every detailed weakness we have. We MUST learn from today’s annihilation and lesson. It is no ‘one off’ - it WILL GET TOUGHER between now and May 2024. Let’s see how we do from this point onwards, what we’ve done counts for little now, unless we maintain that momentum … !!! Lets not spoil the first half of season achieved success.

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Karlosfandangal added 17:49 - Dec 23 Would have taken 2nd a Christmas at the beginning of the season so well done Town. Leeds were Prem last year and there are better teams in the prem than Leeds…..just shows what will need to be done of Town does make the Prem. Lose to Leicester and we are 9 points behind them and Leeds could be just 4 behind us by Boxing Day Jan window will be very interesting as we will need to replace those missing for 5 or 6 games in Jan and we need to add real quality to push on and players who will be able to play in the Prem. Exciting times indeed as play offs look a certain as I cant see Town falling apart

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dirtydingusmagee added 18:10 - Dec 23 Expected result and not expecting much from Leicester but thanks to whats gone before we are still in a good place .Hopefully we get back in the groove and repeat our success of season so far. Today was painful but lets be positive and move forward. Have a good Christmas everyone
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htb added 18:15 - Dec 23 Blueboy 1981 always THE MASTER in stating the BLEEDiNG NEGATIVE OBVIOUS
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ImAbeliever added 18:32 - Dec 23 @htb .. meant to mark you down not up.
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blueboy1981 added 18:49 - Dec 23 htb …. It’s called Reality and Truth - which some of you Dislike, preferring to live in an alternative make believe world !!
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blueboy1981 added 18:51 - Dec 23 ImAbeilever …… I did likewise !
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 18:57 - Dec 23 So......Wolfie is the weaklink ??
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Davidwb20 added 19:10 - Dec 23 For all the usual negative posters who can’t seem to wait to post negative comments. We have not got the money Leeds have! 20 million on their centre forward says it all! Well done ITFC on your success during 2023 and Merry Christmas to the more balanced folk who recognise what we have achieved. We support the Ipswich
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 19:49 - Dec 23 Blueboy you are without doubt the most self righteous, pompous , know it all on this forum .
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Dissboyitfc added 20:08 - Dec 23 to say what we have acheived so far means nothing is a ridulous statement, 52 points says differently! Bad day at the office, move on! have a happy xmas everyone!
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budgieplucker added 20:09 - Dec 23 This was also going to be a very tough fixture for us and to be honest it would have been a great performance if we had managed to Knick a draw, but after conceding again so early we made it enormously difficult for ourselves. I feel for Leif on his return to Elland Road, one of our best players of the season so far having a nightmare of a game, I think Leeds had done their homework and got behind our fullbacks and exploited our weakest link in Harry Clark. Leeds knew when to press and when to drop off and let’s face it, it becomes a lot easier when you go 3-0 up, Morsy and Loungo struggled to get any foothold and George Hirst’s first touch let him down on every occasion not allowing the pressure to be relieved. Had Broadhead put that early chance away and our only credible momentum in the game when Chaplin hit the post gone in, then we may have wrestled something back out of the game. However, Leeds managed to build momentum and get the home crowd behind the. Our passing lacked any crispness and Leeds seemed to have been a yard faster and constantly knocked the ball off us or we surrender possession to easy. A day to forget quickly and a referee performance that seemed to favour the home team in most respects made it harder against a side that didn’t need any extra favour. I won’t argue about the penalty, I am sure Leif will be back to his best in the next game or two, it was a 50/50 for me but this referee was unlikely to give us the benefit of the doubt and I am sure we would have all been shouting for it if it had been the other way around. Not so much the result to be disappointed about but a performance where we failed to display the credentials to back all the good stuff we have seen so far this season. Lots to still be excited about for the rest of the season and perhaps a blessing in disguise, our best eleven and one or two on the fringes have been excellent but I think teams may soon find an antidote to us in the second half, heaven forbid we lose Morsy for the Africa Cup, and Burgess has for me been our most consistent centre back. To me it seems that the January window needs to strengthen our spine with better quality players than we have and maybe another fullback, loans are fine as the objective is to give us a better chance to get through the playoffs should second slip from our grass. My fear is we might not be able to turn up for the most vital games at the end of the season which would be a great shame given the magnificent commitment shown so fa.

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ThaiBlue added 20:14 - Dec 23 Well we got well pumped by leeds today and they deserved it.we keep going on about a sticker I think the defense is the priority at the moment we give away far to many goals that's 8 from leeds alone.
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Carberry added 20:26 - Dec 23 Leeds have been held at home by West Brom, Coventry and Cardiff so let's not get carried away they are Real Madrid. We just looked like we froze. I think the Morsy yellow card saga has had an effect, we have needed him to be at his combative best against Norwich and Leeds but he hasn't been. McK does need another plan, we are great at breaking quickly so a more defensive set up with that option could work well. Sadly the pictures of him on the touchline today showed a helpless look about him, let's hope he has a plan worked out for Boxing Day. And it is one of the biggest cliches in football, doing business in the January window is not to be advised, particularly when you need players with Premier League potential.

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londontractorboy57 added 20:41 - Dec 23 Happy Xmas bluebore you are so booking perhaps.we should.get Mickma to sure up the defense
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barrystedmunds added 20:59 - Dec 23 Don’t mind losing IF we put in a performance and sadly today we didn’t do that. We’ve had Burnley, Wolves,Fulham and the two of the three relegated teams ( who are basically Premiership squads) to pit ourselves against and I think we can all see our shortcomings. But, we are still pretty much a league one squad, punching way above our weight. No one likes losing but maybe a result like this is a wake up call for all connected to the club. Our reaction on Tuesday will tell us a lot about where we are.

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TimmyH added 21:13 - Dec 23 Woolfie and the 4 that played in defence are the weak links currently...1 clean sheet in the last 10 says so.
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dirtydingusmagee added 21:25 - Dec 23 Blueboy we were promoted from league 1 and have achieved amazing things to this point , we lost to a team relegated from Prem but with a lot more money and a squad of Prem players you cant expect us to move from Lge 1 with Premiership players , so when it comes to reality its you that are found lacking , so wake up and wise up . Stop your stupid reality and honesty claims , like you are the only person that knows what they are talking about you are just kidding yourself , nobody else. NOBODY can be sure of promotion and its stupid to think McKenna ISNT DOING ALL HE CAN , so give it a rest,

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gavin added 21:43 - Dec 23 @ Red Dust Playing Leeds is everybody's Cup Final. Also if you could learn how to spell your comments may have had more gravity to them. Just accept that we were beat by a far superior team and get rid of the sour grapes. It isn't a good look
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blueboy1981 added 21:47 - Dec 23 Dirty ….. ??? - some of you are Trawlers for excuses, and only serve to make yourselves look foolish - as you have yet again. Obviously not difficult ! - We were like Rabbits in Headlights today, and You and Co Ltd still make excuses. Neutrals would have never believed we were in the same League as Leeds today, and it’s been coming …… as many could see … !!
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Marinersnose added 22:10 - Dec 23 We have had a superb first half of the season and every player should be proud of what they’ve achieved so far. Today as with the home match against Leeds we were beaten by the better team who had pace in abundance which we couldn’t deal with. Defensively we are no match for teams of this calibre. Burgess who is decent against teams who launch the ball was caught out on the first goal losing his man and missed his kick on their second goal resulting in Davis scoring an OG . Tuanzebe had a poor game but perspective is required and their £30m man made our defence look poor. He’s made most look poor including Leicester. Hopefully a much better performance against Leicester. Very proud of our achievements so far

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shakytown added 22:51 - Dec 23 Shows how far we have come and we still have a way to go. Leeds were premier league last year and showed it today. Just think back 2 years and the state we were in and how far we have come and keep the faith. The January window is probably the most important yet for Kieran and the club and we will just have to trust that he gets it right again. We have come a long way in a very short time and still have a long way to go so support the team , manager and everyone behind the scenes to keep moving forward.

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Bert added 23:15 - Dec 23 The reality is that the past informs the future. That’s why the past matters.
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